Orange Beach, Alabama Saltwater Fishing Reports

If catching a big shark is something you think is cool, then come along with us and enjoy a 6 hour fishing trip and you just might do it. Gulf Shores Spring Break is 40 days away, but the fish are biting now. We have completed our annual haul out and we are ready to go fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 1/21/2012

November has been pretty mild so far, but the deep sea fishing for Bullred Fish has been phenominal. Right now, we are experiencing mild weather with a weekly cold front passing. It is right after the cold front passes when the winds switch out of the southeast, to the northwest. The temperature drops to about 40 to 48 degrees at night but is warming up to about 60 to 65 degrees in the late morning. It is about 8:30 to 9 am when we are beginning to see these big Bull Redfish surfacing right off the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Fishing for these larger of the Redfish is either red hot or either random. When we get a strike on the lures, we quickly circle the area and begin to locate additional fish. Bull Redfish like to stay in schools and feed on the Pogies that are schooling or the crabs that are on the bottom of the sand. Either way, when they are feeding, they will bite just about anything.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 11/10/2011

This morning the temperature was 38 degrees and the wind was gentle. The trolling fishing for Bull Redfish in Orange Beach is kicking off. The live bait that Redfish feed on in the Gulf Shores waters is moving toward shore trying to get warm. As a result, these Big Bullredfish move in close to the beach and feed. There are sometimes when the water is gold looking with so many fish feeding at a time. Other times, they are deep and in smaller groups. Either way, we love to take anglers out and let you experience the excitement of catching a fish that can weigh as much as 40 pounds, right off the beach. Fall of the year is my favorite time. The weather is comfortable in Orange Beach and most of the time, the fish bite is wonderful. Remember, bullred fishing on the Alabama Gulf Coast does not have to be expensive. Come along with us and enjoy a 2, 3 or 4 hour trolling trip. You might just have a blast and have a trip of a lifetime.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/22/2011

Bull Reds are here and Fall fishing is awesome on the Alabama Gulf Coast. This time of year is wonderful. The Shrimp Festival is coming up this weekend and tens of thousands of people will flock to the beaches of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach for a quick fall escape. The three and four hour trolling fishing charters with Distraction Charters can be a lot of fun. The Bull Redfish are beginning to bite. If you would like to have a lot of fun, come join us for a Redfish fishing charter.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/11/2011

The Fall Gag Grouper season opened with a bang. All year long, we have been leaving these monster size Grouper alone and allowing them to rest. The waters off Orange Beach can produce some really nice size Gag Grouper. Today was extraordinary. These fish were hungry and we dropped our baits for the first time this year, to the bottom of the gulf. We normally do not fish on the bottom, because if you catch fish deep and they are not in season, they could suffer barotrauma. That is why we waited until now to fish on the bottom. The Gag Groupers were all around 15 pounds today. They were hungry and they were eating just about anything you put in front of them. We look forward to a great Gag Grouper season in Orange Beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/18/2011

Changing pace and fishing techniques is very common for us at Distraction Charters in Orange Beach. With the Red Snapper season being closed to harvest this time of the year, Jigging for Amberjack has certainly been a great alternative to traditional bottom fishing. Jigging is the ultimate physical test for anglers wanting to a different fishing style. We head out in the mornings just south of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores for a ride offshore to the fishing grounds. We are using 7 and 9 oz Williamson Jigs tied to a spinning reel with 30 lb test. We are teaching our anglers how to work the jig and catch Amberjack and Red Snapper almost every cast. The dog days of summer are upon us, but the jigging action of the rod can often make those fish strike the lure. Jigging takes effort and is not for the smaller kids. It can exhaust even the most seasoned anglers, but the rewards are certainly worth it.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/14/2011

Trolling for King Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel has been red hot during the first week of August. About the first of August, these migratory fish showed up and began biting like crazy just south of the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama shoreline. We assume it is because the bait finally showed up and gave them something to feed upon. Blood minnow schools are everywhere and it is not uncommon to now see schools of Spanish devouring them by the mouthful. We were catching a lot of them during the months of June and July, but they were deeper in the water column. They were cutting us off while bottom fishing. Now we are not getting cut off as much because most of the Mackerel are up closer to the shorline feeding. We still have to go offshore a good ways to get the larger Kings that weigh anywhere from 8 to 18 lbs. All we know is the Mackerel fishing is going to be red hot through the late summer and fall months. Come deep sea fishing with us and let us show you how we catch them on light tackle.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/7/2011

Orange Beach, Alabama is known for it's world class artificial reef system. The thousands of man made reefs offers amazing opportunities for families with kids of all ages to experience deep sea fishing in a truly unique environment. We have just completed a week of great fishing trips. The Red Snapper are biting a little slower now that the water temperatures are pushing 87 degrees. The fishing pressure close to shore has taken it's toll on reefs within 13 miles of the shoreline. The bite on the 4 hour trips is marginal at best. The 6 hour trips are still producing larger fish, but most of the keeper fish being caught are Cobia and King Mackerel, with a few Spanish Mackerel. The 4 hour trolling trips are producing some good sized Spanish Mackerel near the shoreline each morning. The King Mackerel bite on trolling trips near Orange Beach has been very slow most days. A lot of the kings are too short to keep. They have to be 24 inches in length at the fork to keep them. The Spanish Mackerel do not have a size limit. We are looking forward to a great August as we begin to wrap up the summer tourist season in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. This July has been one for the record books for our area. One thing for sure, because of the BP Oil Spill in 2010, everyone now knows about Orange Beach, Alabama and the world class fishing we can offer families.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/31/2011

Family fishing is red hot during the last week of July, 2011. Even though the Red Snapper season closed on the 18th, families with kids are still starving for some great light tackle action in the Gulf of Mexico. Distraction is running two charters a day and still catching big fish. You will have to release these giant sized fish until they come back into season in June 2012. The fishing is awesome and we are catching some really good and hard pulling fish. The Cobia bite has slowed a bit, but we are still catching some and families are loving to watch them dance on the water as they fight to get away. We decided to listen to our customers and keep fishing for big fish instead of going to the trysler grounds and catching baby vermilion snapper and red porgy to eat. Our guests find that boring and tell us that they can catch those size fish back home. The Larger reef fish offer a big fight on light tackle and everyone is lining up this summer to get their chance to catch one. At this time, we have limited space available for the next couple of weeks. It is extremely important to book your Orange Beach fishing charter early, so you get the charter you want.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/24/2011

The last week of the 2011 federal Red Snapper season is producing some whopper fish. Distraction Charters in Orange Beach has been bringing home the big ones and we are doing it with light tackle. Our largest fish weighed 30.18 pounds and we have brought in 5 Red Snappers that were in the 24 to 27 lb range this week. There is nothing more entertaining than to watch a kid hook into one of these monster sized snappers and watch them moan, grunt, strain and wind away on the reel. Fishing with families is extremely entertaining in Orange Beach. We get to experience children fishing with their parents and grandparents and see the smiles on everyones faces. There is no serious fishing or over harvesting going on this Orange Beach charter boat. We encourage our guests to take what they need, not what they can. The service we offer is impeccable and is second to none when it comes to deep sea fishing on Alabama's Gulf Coast.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/17/2011

Nobody would have ever believed that just one year after the nation's worst oil spill that the fishing business on Alabama's Gulf Coast would be thriving. Because of what happened last year, hundreds of millions of people now know where Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama are. An area that used to be known as the Redneck Riviera, is now known as one of the hottest, family destinations for people from all around the world. Distraction Charters has served people from over 21 countries and is seeing record numbers of people wanting to experience deep sea fishing. The fishing has been phenominal in 2011. With the pressure being taken off the fish during 2010 because of the oil spill, people are starving for their chance to get on the saltwater and enjoy some deep sea fishing in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama. Never before have we seen so many new faces in our area and that is good for business. The Cobia have been showing up in record numbers this year on Alabama's Artificial Reef System because of all of the rain we have had up north. It has taken almost a month for some of the rain to run off into the gulf, thus muddying up the water near coastal Louisiana and pushing those Cobia or Ling over to Alabama's waters in search of higher salinity concentrations. Almost every angler this past week has has a chance to catch a Cobia. Not all of them have been keepers, but as each day goes by, these fish grow and are approaching the 33 inch fork length. We are excitied about the rest of the summer here in Orange Beach. The bookings are up and people are starving for the chance to go out on a private charter and enjoy some great Alabama saltwater deep sea fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/10/2011

Light Tackle deep sea fishing is no joke when it comes to catching big fish on 6 hour charters. We don't need live bait to let you see if you can handle some really big fish. With Distraction Charters, you get more fishing time and have your chance to catch some really big Red Snappers while bottom fishing. Gulf Shores is full of vacationers looking for an activity for the entire family. Deep sea fishing is the perfect outlet for those of you who want to experience a really neat fishing trip. July is really hot and our air conditioned charter boat, cools you down after a volley of catching one fish after another. July 4th each year sets the pace for all fishing charters for the summer season. Guests are coming far and wide to experience some really good bottom fishing charters. We offer 6 hour bottom fishing charters because we want you to have a chance to get offshore far enough to get to where the big fish live. Using light tackle fishing gear on the Distraction Charter boat is a lot of fun for the entire family. We have kids as young as 4 years of age, reeling in their first Red Snapper. The King Mackerel bite is better way offshore, that is why the 4 hour trolling trips are hit and miss right now. We have seen a bunch of Cobia or Ling on every fishing trip. It will not be long before Red Snapper season is over on July 18. Now is the time to book your fishing charter and cash in on some of these tasty fish. After the season closes, we can continue catching as many fish as you like, but we will have to let those that are out of season go. Amberjack season opens on August 1, but don't expect to catch them on any trip less than 10 hours because of overfishing close to shore. You need to plan on a full day of fishing if you want to catch those big Amberjack. Gag Grouper season opens on September 15 and those are some really fun and beautiful fish to catch. Bring the family and kids and join us for a fun fishing vacation in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/3/2011

The summer weather pattern and clear water are pushing in to make some world class light tackle fishing in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Fishing with salt water light tackle gear is one way the Distraction Charter boat is catchins some big fish. Some people ask us about fishing with live bait and we simply say it is not needed. Catching live bait takes up about 30 minutes of your fishing charter and does not out perform our light tackle fishing gear. We have been catching Cobia on almost every charter boat trip this week in Orange Beach. Most of them are smaller, but that is a good sign that the Ling fish stock is healthy and viable. They offer an acrobatic fight when hooked. With the clear water moving in, the Mangrove or Gray Snapper are beginning to bite pretty good. We are seeing some pretty nice ones on our 6 hour charter trips. If you are looking for an activity for the family, come along with us on the Distraction Charter boat for an adventure that may change your mind about fishing in the Gulf of Mexico, south of Gulf Shores, Alabama.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/26/2011

The King Mackerel Bite is improving on 4 hour trolling trips. We were trolling south of Orange Beach and it did not take long before the rods were bent over and a King Mackerel was pulling at the other end. The first two weeks of June has been extremely slow for trolling fishing, but with a southerly wind flow the past few days, water clarity is improving just south of the Gulf Shores beaches. Most of the fish we are catching are down deep in the water column. That must mean that the surface water is dirty and the visibility of the fish is poorer near the top of the water. The number 3 planers that we are pulling with long leaders is beginning to pay off with big dividends. Our guests love it when they see the big rod and reel start jerking real hard and the drag begins to scream. King Mackerel fishing has been good for the past 3 years, but this year has gotten off to a slow start. We are not seeing the bait fish on the surface like we did in latter years. Don't know if it is because of water temperatures, salinity, water clarity or environmental issues related to the 2010 bp oil spill? Either way, we are catching some kings this week and your family needs to be enjoying it.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/24/2011

This past week has been amazing. We have been running every day and the fish are biting. We have been catching some really big Red Snappers, with our largest being 29.48 pounds. Orange Beach fishing charters has been catching Cobia, Mangrove Snapper, Jack Crevalle, Spanish Mackerel, King Mackerel and the Red Snappers. The light tackle we are using has been performing well thus far. We have had a strong westerly current of about 2 knots that has blown some muddy water over toward Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. The high pressure system is sitting out over the gulf and the clockwise rotation of the wind is causing a southwest and a westerly wind all week. A little further south of the Alabama Gulf Coast, the water is better some days than others. It is green one day and chalky the other. This water coloration change has forced the King Mackerel further offshore to feed. Most all of the Kings we are catching are deep in the water. We are not seeing the Kings like we did in past years up near the shore line. That is making for some tough 4 hour trolling charters. The fish are simply not there. That is why we urge people to book the 6 hour bottom fishing and trolling charter. We can almost guarantee a good catch if you take the 6 hour deep sea fishing trip. We would hate to take you on a 4 hour trolling trip when the fish are simply not biting well. Whenever the westerly winds stop blowing and we get a southeast push of emerald green water, I believe the King Mackerel bite will get better close to shore. Right now, we are running two 6 hour trips a day. We are departing at 06:30 and at 1:30 pm. These trips are ideal for those who are early risers and for those who have older teenagers that want to sleep in. We look forward to seeing you on the water this summer.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/18/2011

The weather today was great and the fish were biting. We caught Black (Mangrove)Snappers, King Mackerel, Bonita and some big Red Snappers today. Family fishing in Gulf Shores is getting red hot and so is the bite. We are fishing artificial reefs within 20 miles of shore on 6 hour fishing trips. These charter fishing trips in Orange Beach are ideal for those with a family and want to get the best service in the area on a fishing charter.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/9/2011

This mornings family fishing charter in Orange Beach was something special. We had some of the sweetest kids fishing with us today. We caught Red Snapper and a Cobia. The water is clearing up and the current is really mild. The fishing in Orange Beach is pretty awesome right now for families. Being in the Family fishing business is the best thing we ever did 9 years ago. The smiles on kids faces when they catch their first fish is what makes us tick.... See you soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/8/2011

The emerald green waters moved in this morning and brought the King Mackerel bite back to normal. We have been fighting a westerly current and muddy water for almost a week. The Mobile Bay has been pushing water in to the Orange Beach area and the King Mackerels were not biting good until today. We caught Red Snapper by the droves and managed to catch some really nice Kings. Charter boat fishing on the Distraction is a treat for the entire family on vacation in Gulf Shores. Everything we do on your fishing charter brings smiles to your families faces.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/7/2011

Red Snapper season opened on June 1. We are experiencing some wonderful fishing on the Alabama Gulf Coast in the waters just south of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. The 6 hour trip is proving to be the trip of choice because the fish are a little further offshore and trips less than 5 hours offer very little time actually fishing. All of our families are really enjoying the light tackle deep sea fishing charters we are offering this year. The added photography and movies we are making of your fishing trip are really value added services that other charters can't compete with. The water is muddy close to shore because of all the rain that has run down the rivers and into the gulf. Trolling for King Mackerel is not very good right now. The fish can't see the trolling lures in the muddy water. However, the 6 hour bottom fishing charter for the Red Snapper is one awesome experience for anglers of all ages. We have purchased new tackle that is ideal for kids and people who do not want to fish with traditional heavy tackle. We are catching Big Fish and releasing the rest. Our families are really enjoying the fishing on the distraction charter boat more than ever this year.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/5/2011

The bull Vermilion Snapper may be closer than you think when planning your next Gulf Shores and Orange Beach Vacation. Today's deep sea fishing charter was something special. Catching big Vermilion Snapper or Beeliners is some kind of fun when Red Snapper season is closed. The big Vermilion have not had much pressure on them since 2009 and boy they are getting big. If you are wanting a good eating fish, then beeliners are a great species to target. We headed south of the Orange Beach Marina, out into the Gulf of Mexico this morning and the weather was wonderful. We had a slight westerly wind and the seas were calm. We caught plenty of fish but most of all, we caught big Trigger fish and nice size Vermilions. These trips are usually 8 to 10 hours in length to get the big Bull Mingos. Shorter trips usually produce their smaller cousins.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/28/2011

In Orange Beach, if you hear someone say Red Snapper, everyone goes "Ah - Ok!". If you hear the word Shark, everyone goes "Awesome - Let me see it." The reality is, Shark fishing on the Alabama Gulf Coast is one of the most heart pounding and neat fishing trips you can take. We don't fish for sharks like they did in the movie "Jaws." We catch them while fishing for other species of reef fish. It is definitely not for the faint of heart. You need to be ready for a fight that will last anywhere from 30 minutes to over a couple of hours. The best thing about shark fishing is you can do it and still catch other species of fish. Read about shark fishing on our latest article in Alabama Outdoor News.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/27/2011

Ben came all the way from Branson, Mo., to enjoy some Amberjack fishing on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The weather was right and the seas were rolling gently on today's deep sea fishing charter. We left the Orange Beach Marina at 7 am in order to not be rushed in getting offshore to where the big boys live. We enjoyed our ride and conversations as cruised along. The bite was amazing today. We bottom fished today and caught Amberjack, King Mackerel, Bonita and several Red Snappers. The Amberjack season will be closed from June 1 until July 31st this year in order to allow the fish stocks to rebuild. The good thing is that we promote catch and release and we will take you to catch them, you just won't be able to keep them this summer.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/22/2011

The southeast winds brought some much needed clear water to the Gulf Shores of Alabama this morning. We have had so much rain up in the central states that the river run off and westerly winds clouded the water and made the visibility of the water tough for trolling fishing. The southeast wind pushed back and some beautiful green water has moved in right off Orange Beach and has made trolling fishing red hot. We are catching Spanish Mackerel that are anywhere from three quarter pounds up to five pounds almost daily. The good thing about trolling fishing in Orange Beach, is that it is only $750 plus tip for a family of 6 for four hours. That is a deal that families are jumping all over this last week in May 2011. The temperatures are comfortable but the size of the Distraction Boat makes the ride very smooth. The morning and late afternoon trips are the most popular trips right now. After June 1, Red Snapper season opens and families will be able to keep 2 per person. Those trips are six hours long. We look forward to seeing so many of you back this summer.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/19/2011

If you want to have some fun, tell us that you want to catch a shark while deep sea fishing. Chris kept telling us that he wanted to catch something big. Reef fish like Red Snapper, Vermilion Snapper, Triggerfish would not satisfy his hunger to tug on something huge. The water off of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores is not as clear as it usually is this time of the year. The rainfall that we are experiencing up north is finally making its way down to Mobile bay and it is decreasing the visibility. We thought the water clarity would make a difference in the reef fish bite and increase our chances of catching a shark while deep sea fishing. We were wrong. We fished 4 reefs where sharks usually hang out and we did not hardly lose a bait. We headed south to try and find one last spot where the water was clear and we could possibly catch a big shark. We had caught a few Spanish Mackerel earlier in the morning, so we had Kyle put one on the hook and send it down. It took about 10 minutes and Chris had all the fight he could handle. To see all of the pictures we took, visit our Facebook page and become a fan here: http://www.facebook.com/OrangeBeachFishingCharters

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/11/2011

Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama offers families a wonderful opportunity to escape for a Mother's Day fishing charter. Today's fishing trip started with the routine safety briefing and a short ride out of past the jetties and into the Gulf of Mexico. Robinson Island and the Perdido pass was swarming with Mothers Day vacationers enjoying their day on the water. We headed offshore for over an hour and a half to our first fishing reef. The water was calm and the hold up was really easy. Nobody's fishing lines were getting caught in the propellers. We fished three reefs and we had Red Snapper on top water eating anything they could. These two young girls had a blast catching one fish after another and we have the pictures show it. Fishing in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores is a great activity while on vacation on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/7/2011

Your kids will love to fight a big Amberjack while deep sea fishing in Orange Beach this Summer. This young man was jigging his artificial lure when this Amberjack struck it and ran to the bottom of the gulf. This nice sized Amberjack fish gave him a fight of a lifetime and a memory that he will always remember. The Amberjack can be caught year round in the Gulf of Mexico but you can't keep them only during the months of June and July 2011. The season will be closed during our busiest Summer vacation months in order to get the pressure off of them. This means that you and your kids can still have a blast catching and releasing them all Summer long.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/2/2011

The big Cobia migration is in full swing and these large fish are moving offshore to settle in on artificial reefs. Two times this week, we have caught Cobia that swim up right behind the boat and say "hey, look at me, Iam hungry." Not really, they dont speak. They do come up to the surface right behind the charter boat while bottom fishing and are not afraid of the boat. We caught two this week and released them both. I love it when responsible people keep what they need, not what they can.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/26/2011

2011 has certainly been an amazing year so far. The weather has been exceptionally great for the Spring Break here on the Gulf Shores and Orange Beaches. Deep sea fishing has been red hot and the Trigger fish have been began to bite. For a couple of years now, the triggerfish have been in managed by the federal government to help restore the fish stock to a healthy level. This year, we are reaping the rewards of the 14" fork length for Triggers. Trigger fish is an awesome fish for the table and give anglers a great fight. Today was no exception. We got into and caught a mess of Triggerfish south of Orange Beach that would rival the old days, with one exception. We caught enough for supper and no more. The days of trying to fill the freezer have been replaced by those who want to experience deep sea fishing and keep a few for supper. This means that there are more quality fish than ever before available for you to catch while deep sea fishing. We look forward to seeing you soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/19/2011

Spring break 2011 has been one of the best. Our guests are hungry service and good fishing. They all love the white sandy beaches, warm temperatures and great deep sea fishing. Our fishing trips during this past week have been phenominal. Except for a morning fog late in the week, which is typical of this time of the year, Orange Beach fishing has been red hot. Everyone is more concerned about having a little fun than they are about last years oil spill. We are alive, kicking and love being on the beautiful waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The Spanish Mackerel are biting, the Cobia are migrating and the Red Snapper are biting like crazy. It's amazing that only 4 years into the Red Snapper management plan, we can go out and catch larger fish than ever before within 10 miles of the beach. I for one am glad that everyone continues to look to us and trust us to take their family fishing. We look forward to seeing you this Spring and Summer.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/09/2011

The spanish mackerel bite is red hot in Orange Beach, Alabama. Today's trolling fishing trip was one to be remembered. We were catching two and three Spanish Mackerel at a time using our magic lures. The wind was breezy but the almost 80 degree temperatures were extremely comfortable. We trolled back and forth from Perdido Pass Jetty's all the way to the Flora Bama line. Back and forth in 18 to 23 feet of water produced some really nice spanish. Our largest fish was just over 5 pounds. Check us out and become a fan of "orange beach fishing charters" on facebook to see up to the minute reports from Gulf Shores and Orange Beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/3/2011

Charter Fishing in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores returned to normal during the first two weeks of the spring break. The Klein family came all the way from Wisconsin to escape the chilly temperatures and enjoy a day on the water with the Distraction crew. We opted for a 6 hour bottom fishing trip and the weather was fully cooperating with us. We caught Ruby Lips, Trigger Fish, Spanish Mackerel, Lizard Fish and had realeased a few Red Snapper. The bite was red hot and most of the reef fish were just below the surface of the water. I did not even need my sonar to find them. You could look down in the water and see the fish swimming around, looking for something to eat. It always amazes me when we can see the fish we are about to catch. Our guests think seeing these fish before we catch them is one of the coolest things about charter boat fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/25/2011

So far this Spring Break has been wonderful in Orange Beach. Distraction headed offshore for a full day charter to catch some deep water Amberjack. We fished in close to catch some trigger fish and vermilion snapper to ensure we had a few fish for supper in case the big ones did not bite. We caught some nice size Trigger Fish that were close to 7 pounds each before we went to the 200' water. As the day progressed, deep sea fishing slowed down about 1030 am because of the full moon last night. We worked hard to get a bite but the Amberjacks were not interested. Kevan hooked up with a Jig and told him to got after it. It did not take long before the Jacks started firing off and biting. We were ready and everyone on the charter boat Distraction had a chance to catch at least two jacks each. We had to release the smaller ones but they were all about 28 inches each. The ones we kept were all around 32 to 35 inches or about 25 to 30 pounds each.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/19/2011

Fishing today was phenominal. Spring Break in Gulf Shores is underway and this group wanted to catch some fish. We had a family from Austin, Texas on the boat. We sure did have fun catching those fish. One fish after another and nobody was watching their watches. This was time to relax and enjoy a day on the water with the Distraction. Overall, a great day. 72 degrees and partly cloudy. Sea conditions were 3 foot with a swell. Not a bad day on the Gulf.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/15/2011

Kelvin McBeth has been one patient angler. For the past three years, he has booked his fishing charter during spring break in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and bad weather has always forced us to cancel. Year after year, Kelvin remained faithful and kept booking his charter for his family and friends. Well, Kelvin had his chance to go deep sea fishing and we went to the best fishing spots around so he could catch up on what he has missed in the past. It is customers and friends like Kelvin that make being a charter boat captain special. We headed offshore about 7 am this morning and we went straight to the best spot we had. When we arrived, we were not surprised to find Red Snappers swimming on top water, waiting on these boys to catch them. We caught big fish, little fish and every fish inbetween. Our largest fish was a 23 pound Red Snapper that gave our angler a lot of action. He was caught just below the surface and you could see him bite the bait. Today was a great Spring Break fishing charter on the Gulf Shores of Alabama.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/13/2011

Friday started off just right. We decided to leave the Orange Beach Marina at 8 am because these college boys wanted to stay up late and hang out with their friends. We headed out to sea and the brisk northerly wind was giving us some pretty cool temperatures. We rode offshore for about an hour and a half before we started fishing. These KA fraternity boys from the University of Miami of Ohio were ready for some action. We caught quite a few Red Snapper and Grouper but had to put them back. Those seasons do not open until later in the season. Orange Beach and Gulf Shores is full of Spring Breakers looking for some kind of fun activity to do. These young men had a blast, using Distraction Charters light tackle fishing gear. We were in just after lunch today. We had a good time and look forward to Saturday's two trips.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/11/2011

Today was a day like no other in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. Our guests came all the way from Albuquerque, NM. Dr. McKenzie left the mile high elevation to come to Orange Beach and do a little deep sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. We got a late start because two of our guest were celebrating their anniversary and wanted to sleep in. It did not matter to us, the weather forcast was going to be good all day. We left the Orange Beach Marina at 08:45 and began working our way offshore. We rode for about 1.5 hours to our first artificial reef. After fishing for about 15 minutes, we saw something amazing swim just in front of the charter boat. It had a huge fin sticking out of the water. We thought Shark, Whale Shark and about that time, the fish layed over on its side and we recognized it as being a sun fish. Some people call them Mola Mola but it was huge. The education part of our fishing trip kicked in and I asked them if they would like to get some pictures or be able to see one up close? Everyone said yes. We reeled up our fishing lines and we rode about 100 yards forward and there he was. It must have been 600 pounds and the size of a beach tent. We got some good pictures and then we decided to go back to the reef and finish our deep sea fishing adventure. We ended up catching a lot of nice sized 24 to 26 inch Red Snappers with the largest one weighing about 12 pounds. We had a wonderful day and are looking forward to the rest of Alabama's Spring Break fishing season.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/7/2011

As with any fishing on the Alabama Gulf Coast, it can be challenging at times. The cool temperatures this Winter has pushed the Bull Redfish further offshore and away from land. Today was no exceptional charter, but we did manage to catch a couple of monster sized Bull Redfish. We left the Orange Beach Marina Dock Sunday morning about 8 a.m.. We headed through Moron Straits and out past the Alabama Point Bridge when we saw some birds working just outside the jetties and sea wall. We put the trollers out and were hoping to hook up on some early season Spanish Mackerel. We trolled through the bait balls a few times and did not have any luck. I guess it was just Pelicans and Seagulls diving in and having an easy feast on some Blood Minnows. We headed East at first and got into some 21 foot water, hoping to catch a nice Redfish in front of the Caribe Condo's. To no avail, they were not biting. We slowly headed to the West and went as far as the Alabama State Park pavilion before we got our first Bull Redfish on the line. It was a beautiful 24 pounder. The early morning temperature were brisk but amazingly comfortable after the sun came up. We caught one more nice sized Bull Redfish before heading back in around noon. The weather is warming quickly and the fish are starting to show up better than they did when it was cold. We are looking forward to a really great Spring Break in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores, Alabama this year.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 2/21/2011

Today was absolutely wonderful. Spring Break is just around the corner and the Bull Redfish are still here. The recent cold weather has pushed the Bullreds further offshore for over a month. The cold water has made the bait fish that were next to the Gulf Shores and Orange Beach area move away. The past couple of days we have had sunshine and 65 degrees and the water warmed up just enough to bring the Redfish in closer to shore. We ended up catching two fish, with the largest one being over 25 pounds. They were scattered about and did not get any consistent bites. When we found one, he was hungry. The fishing forecast for February should be better. March first is when we really crank it up and start producting quality fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 1/30/2011

Redfish fishing is in full swing on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Today's Bull Redfish adventure was one to remember. Everyone is anticipating all of the Thanksgiving trimmings tomorrow, but we were out here on the Gulf of Mexico, just south of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama fishing for Bull Reds. The morning started off at 8 am and we headed to the east in hopes of getting a quick pick of Redfish and get some immediate action. The waves were from the Southeast and there was not much too them. I did not see any bait or birds, so I headed to the west, toward Gulf Shores. It did not take long to see a couple of boats on the horizon, down near the State Pier. They were silent and did not want anyone to know that I knew what they were doing. I fish these waters on a daily basis and when I got close, my phone rang. It was my long time fishing Buddy, Johnny Greene on the Intimidator asking how it was going. I said we found them. Just about the time I hung up with Johnny, the reels started screaming and so were our customers. Fishing near the beach in a comfortable boat makes a big difference. We simply have room to fish on our back deck. Anway, we ended up catching 5 Bull Reds and our clients only wanted three of them to put on the smoker. Overall, cool temperatures sure do make for some good Bull Redfish fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 11/24/2010

The Fall weather was great and so was the deep sea fishing. Orange Beach, Alabama offered this young man the opportunity to catch a monster sized Amberjack. The fishing charters during the Fall of the year have been phenominal this year. Just about every fish you want to catch while on vacation in Gulf Shores is available for you. This Amberjack was a pleasant surprise for James when he dropped his bait down below the surface. It did not take long for the Amberjack to swim over and bite the live bait we were fishing with.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/22/2010

The cooler temperatures this weekend are making deep sea fishing a little more comfortable for those going deep sea fishing and to the Bon Jovi and Brad Paisley Concerts. The deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama is red hot this week. Cooler temperatures make for a comfortable fishing charter. We always look forward to this time of year on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The Red Snapper fishing using light tackle is one of best activities one can do in our area.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/15/2010

Fall Red Snapper Season officially arrived in Orange Beach, Alabama this Saturday morning. The winds were brisk and the temperature was in the mid 70's most of the day. Saturday's deep sea fishing trip was about introducing young adults to the world of saltwater fishing. These young anglers bring with them, a sense of responsibility and restraint when it comes to catching Red Snapper and deep sea fishing. These young people have a different view of fishing than their parents and grandparents did. You would think that a group of young people would want to harvest everything they caught? Instead, these young people enjoyed catching and releasing almost all the fish they caught. Jacob, Jamey and Katie wanted just enough fish for supper and that was it. They really enjoyed the entertainment of using light tackle while fishing for Red Snapper today. They caught a lot of fish and only a few of them made it to the dinner table. Just when I thought young men and women were not responsible anglers, they showed me that there is a growing feeling of responsibility among this future generation to take what you need and not what you can. I am proud of this group for exercising restraint and simply enjoying a day on the water of the Gulf of Mexico.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/2/2010

The Fall of the year brings out the best sportfishing on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Today was no different. A 4 hour trolling fishing trip was very productive today. We left at 7 am and headed out Perdido Pass in Orange Beach to try and catch some Spanish Mackerel and some King Mackerel. We have been seeing signs of Sailfish and White Marlin in the area, feeding on the baitfish that move in every Fall. Today was incredible. We had caught plenty of Spanish and Kings, when this magnificent beauty of a Sailfish bit our cigar minnow just five miles south of Orange Beach, near Gulf Shores. Charter fishing this time of the year is usually all about catching fish like Snapper, Triggerfish, Amberjack and Grouper. Most people keep our sportfishing a secret. Thats right, you can go sportfishing in the fall of the year and have some success at it. We enjoyed watching John, a FedEx pilot fight this nice Sailfish in sight of land. We photographed her and released her to be caught again another day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/28/2010

Things are returning to normal on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Alabama State waters and Federal waters are open to catch and keep fishing in Orange Beach. This means you can go deep sea fishing and or near shore fishing from Orange Beach. The Fall red snapper season will begin on Oct 1 and run for about 8 weekends. You will be able to keep snapper on Friday, Saturday and Sunday each week.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/18/2010

This Summer has been slipping by faster than normal. There has been no deep sea fishing in federal waters south of Orange Beach since the first week of June. We have been offering inshore fishing trips with Captain Keith all Summer long. The Distraction has not moved from its slip because the area has been locked down by protective boom. Alabama has now opened up the state waters within 3 miles of shore of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores to "Catch and Release" only. The oil spill is basically stopped for all practical purposes. There is no oil within 93 miles of the Alabama shoreline and it is a light sheen further out. About 30 percent of the oil has been evaporating due to sunshine. I hope that I can give you some good news soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/25/2010

Only a few more days before we can keep these beautiful Red Snapper. June 1 is the day that Red Snapper season opens in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, Alabama. Deep sea fishing in Orange Beach was easy today when all of the fish swam to the surface. It was easy as picking one out of a Goldfish pond. The water is beautiful and the oil spill is miles away. We had a great day fishing on the Gulf of Mexico.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/22/2010

Jeff returned this year only to get revenge on the shark that bit his Red Snapper into last year. Last year, Jeff was reeling in a big Red Snapper and a shark bit it in half. This year, it happened again. Only this time he caught the shark. 48 minutes later, this monster man eater came to the surface and we photographed him and then released. It was an exciting day on the water in Orange Beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/9/2010

There is no oil on or near Alabama's Beautiful Beaches. We are business as usual and there is no need to cancel your vacation at this time. The weather is beautiful and the seas have been calm. The fish are biting real good. Do not listen to the media because most of them are looking for a story and reporting the worst case scenario. There is a good chance that Orange Beach, Alabama is going to come out of this thing unharmed. We are cautiously optimistic that the BOP cover will stop the oil today. Come on and plan your deep sea fishing trip with us today.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/7/2010

We just got back from a morning of deep sea fishing with Steve. He caught this nice sized Gag Grouper just south of Orange Beach on natural bottom. These shallow water grouper offer anglers a great light tackle fight.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/18/2010

Cameron holds a nice Cobia that he caught April 17, 2010. This monster fish weighed 53 pounds and gave him a light tackle fight of a lifetime. The fish appeared beside the boat and was extremely curious to see what we were. He was not afraid of us at all. It took three tries to get him to eat our bait. After we hooked this big Cobia up, Cameron had his hands full for a little while. Cobia are migrating through the Orange Beach fishing area until end of April.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/17/2010

Kevins wife surprised him with a deep-sea fishing trip for his birthday. We wanted him to experience a fishing charter of a lifetime. We had been fishing for a while when we got a strike that about pulled Kevin overboard. We thought it was a shark at first but the way the rod was pulling, we quickly changed our minds and realized it was a monster sized Amberjack. Amberjack are caught on full day trips from Gulf Shores.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/11/2010

Jacob catches his first grouper during Spring Break. These shallow water groupers offer a lot of fun for those who have a little patience while deep-sea fishing in Gulf Shores. Most of these fish are caught on full day trips. The longer the trip, the better chance you will have to catch one.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/09/2010

The gag groupers were biting today. These two young ladies from Georgia enjoyed a spring break fishing trip that produced a couple of nice Gag Groupers for them. Early season grouper fishing can be really rewarding for those who want to catch one.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/07/2010

Distraction Charters loves to see kids catch their first fish. It is especially rewarding to share that moment with a family. This young man caught his first Grouper while bottom fishing today. Deep Sea fishing is so much more than just filling a cooler. It is about the experience of feeling the fight and making memories that will last a lifetime.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/6/2010

Christy Cabezas brought her sons, Justin and Jake with her for an Easter weekend fishing charter. Deep Sea fishing was really good today. This family from Georgia had a lot of fun, catching one fish after another. Christy really enjoyed cutting loose and showing her sons how to fight the big one.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/3/2010

American Idol winner, Taylor Hicks stopped by the Distraction Charter Boat today and say hi to Captain Troy. He was checking out the seasons first Cobia. Taylor has been touring for four years now. It was a pleasure to see Orange Beach's own celebrity.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/2/2010

If you really want to have some fun, You need to bring the family deep sea fishing this Spring. The White Snappers are biting and you can catch them two at a time. No, they are not the largest fish in the sea, but they do offer some amazing action for the kids. The Byrd family chose the 8 hour trip because it allowed them to catch enough fish to take home and have a couple of good fish fries. Bryans kids really enjoyed catching two fish that were pulling in different directions. It made the trip fun. After a while, we had enough fish to satisfy everyone. The waters just south of Orange Beach were calm as could be. The weather was also great.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/28/2010

Jim and Connie brought the family down from Wisconsin to enjoy a Spring Break in Gulf Shores, Alabama. Fishing for Redfish today was remarkably slow. We kept working areas where these large fish are usually found. We picked up two trophy sized Redfish which certainly surpassed all expectations. It was really fun watching these kids have blast catching giant fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/17/2010

Ken and Ben Stafford came all the way from near Muskogee, Ok to enjoy a Gulf Shores, Alabama Spring Break. We were fishing for Triggerfish when these two monster 20 pound plus Red Snappers tore into their bait and the fight was on. Ken and Ben are used to freshwater fishing in Oklahoma. They had no idea that the 2010 Orange Beach, Alabama Spring Break would provide Trophy Sized fish on their first outing. We released these monster Red Snappers to be caught again another day. Great Job!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/15/2010

Distraction is back in the water and is ready to go fishing. Spring Break is here and we are booked up and ready to take you and your family deep sea fishing. Get ready for a wonderful fishing season on the Alabama Gulf Coast.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/12/2010

Our boat has been in the ship yard for our annual inspection and haul out. We removed the entire rear fishing deck and replaced it with a space age material that is waterproof, strong and light. We also have painted the entire boat to ensure she looks good for all of you. We are proud of her and we want her to be in the best shape she can be. We are excited about the 2010 Spring Break fishing season kick off next month. We look forward to seeing all of you soon...

Posted by: Captain Troy on 2/24/2010

Len Anspach brought his boys down from Indiana for Christmas. Landon, Luke and Layne all had their time fighting a big Bull Redfish just south of Orange Beach. There was a lot of fresh water that made fishing tough today. Caught, photographed and released two nice fish. One got all the way up to the boat and slung the hook. That's fishing but the memories are worth it.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 12/27/2009

Billy and Connor enjoy a morning of Bull Redfishing along the beaches of Gulf Shores. We headed out this morning and the seas were calm and the temperatures were warmer than usual for December. Connor caught his 27 pound Bull Redfish with his dad by his side. This was his largest fish he ever caught.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 12/4/2009

The Wood family from Plano, Texas came together today for a wonderful Thanksgiving trolling fishing trip today. Doug had his two sons, Cameron and Nicholas, his brother in law Mark and his son Jared from Grapevine, Tx. Their mother in law, Mrs. Ann, from Tulsa, joined her grandboys on their trolling fishing charter in Orange Beach, Alabama and had a blast. We caught a huge King Mackerel and some Bull Redfish. It was a perfect overcast day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 11/23/2009

Gary and friends from north Georgia enjoyed a Bull Redfishing Charter today in Orange Beach, Al. The cold front was approaching and the full moon did not help the bite. After a while, we finally got the fish to start biting. We ended up catching 4 nice Bull Redfish, 4 Jack Crevalle, 1 Spanish Mackerel and a Bonito. The seas were too rough offshore to go deep-sea fishing, so we opted to stay close and make it happen.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/31/2009

Chad shows off a fine bull Redfish he caught today while fishing in Orange Beach on the Alabama Gulf Coast. Fall fishing is excellent and a 4 hour trip can prove to be quite exciting when trolling for Red Fish just off the gulf shores. Big Bull reds offer anglers a great fight and a wonderful catch and release fishery if you choose. Chad kept a couple to put on the grill. We even caught a couple of nice King Mackerels while trolling today. This day proved to be great.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/22/2009

One of the great things about Orange Beach, Alabama's saltwater fishery is that it is good year-round. Tennessee schools were out on fall break and John and Joy wanted their kids to catch some fish today. The Redfish are here but we did not catch one. We did catch some fine King Mackerel and Spanish Mackerel on a 4 hour trip.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/18/2009

Today was a great day on the Gulf of Mexico. We headed out at the crack of dawn and went down to the deep water where the Tuna and White Marlin live just South of Orange Beach, Alabama. We had Rod Edwards and family on board from Pheonix, Arizona. We let our outriggers down about 9 am and began pulling a lures and ballyhoo to try and catch a White Marlin, Tuna and Wahoo. We trolled the deep water that was over 130 fathoms or about 780 feet deep. The water was a blue and there were no visable tide lines. We pulled baits around the nipple for a while and began heading toward the elbow. Upon arrival at the elbow, we had three lines go off screaming at one time. We hooked up on one line and missed the other two. It was a nice 30 pound class Wahoo. We continued trolling and about 2:45 pm, we had a White Marlin come up on the spread and went nuts. He jumped three lines to get to our special trolling lure and the fight was on. Dr. Rod fought this fish for about 15 minutes and he was mostly hanging on for dear life. His heart was sure racing as he battled this magnificent fish. All of a sudden the line went limp. The fish jumped two times and shook his head violently. The hook was thrown and we did not get him up to the boat. We do have memories of a nice sized White Marlin jumping and fighting behind the boat. On the way in, we were high speed trolling and we caught this nice Blackfin Tuna. We had a wonderful day that will always be remembered as a triple. Wahoo, Marlin and Tuna. You don't get many days like this.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/5/2009

George Beasley, Mike and Stan had a wonderful fishing charter today. We caught King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel, Lane Snapper and Mangrove Snapper. The weather was great and so was the fish bite. We had some wild Dolphin around the boat that entertained us for a while. We moved around and went further offshore, south of Orange Beach until we caught some snapper. What a wonderful light tackle fishing trip we had today.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/15/2009

Even though Red Snapper season ended yesterday, David Fairley, Kristopher, Mike, Jeff and Eric had a blast catching and releasing them on light tackle. We fished high in the water where they could almost pick out the one they wanted. The weather was weird today. We later found out it was the beginning of TS Claudette. Either way, the rain passed and the seas calmed and these men caught some fish. We had a great time with these Texans and look forward to another fishing trip soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/15/2009

Chase Sanson and brother, Shon Sanson and Alan all came down to Orange Beach, Alabama to enjoy some deep sea fishing for Red Snapper and Amberjack fishing. We had a great time fishing all day and we caught this monster Amberjack that gave them a fight to remember.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/14/2009

These young men from the Cincinnati, Ohio area came to enjoy an afternoon of fishing. Chris Smith orchestrated this fishing trip and wanted his friends to catch some fish and have some fun. They caught King Mackerel and Red Snapper.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/13/2009

James and Lisa Virgoe from Allen, Texas brought their family deep sea fishing today. Ashley, Austin and Rio all had a blast catching Red Snapper and King Mackerel. The fishing was good all morning long. These young men and women caught their share of big Red Snapper.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/13/2009

Fishing Charters with children is especially fun when you get to see the smile on their faces when they catch their first fish. Bill Spurbeck, Nicholas, Steven Britain, Gabriell and Samuel and their Grandfather, Francisco DeRosas had a wonderful day with their kids and grandchildren. Orange Beach is a wonderful place to bring the kids and grandkids and enjoy a fishing charter. We look forward to watching these young men grow up catching big fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/12/2009

When you get a bunch of teenage boys together and take them fishing, you had better be ready have some fun. These young men from Texas were a real treat and we had a blast with them. This group was led by Henry Bell and Michael Allen. They had their hands full watching these boys, Christian, Trey, John and Christian D. all come together and fight some fish. These boys caught some nice King and Spanish Mackerel. They even caught a nice Bonita.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/11/2009

Big Red Snappers bit like crazy today. Dave and Susan Anthony brought their boys, Jack, Gordon and Peter on their first deep-sea fishing trip in Orange Beach, Alabama. These boys came to fish and the light tackle proved to be a lot of fun for them.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/11/2009

Jake and Kent Buchanan show off a nice King Mackerel and a Lady Fish they caught this afternoon. Barry and Jill brought their boys on their first deep-sea fishing, trolling trip. They caught a lot of nice sized King Mackerel that gave them a fight of a lifetime. We loved watching these two young men catch their first saltwater fish in Orange Beach, Alabama.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/10/2009

Fishing was great this morning while fishing with our friends from Arkansas. Robby and Darla Jones, Trace and Andrea Harrell and Josh and Racheal were all ready to catch some nice Red Snapper.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/10/2009

The King Mackerel and Red Snappers were biting good for Brian Butts and his family today. The afternoon bite was wonderful. Cindy, Stacey, Steve, Micah and Wesley all had a blast catching nice sized fish all afternoon. The weather was a little sloppy, but that did not stop this family from having some fun.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/8/2009

The fish bite was great today for Eric Hicks and his family. Derrick caught a nice Jack Crevalle that fought so hard it wore him out. Leigh Ann, Eric Jr, Bri and Amanda all caught their share of nice sized Red Snapper. It was a fishing trip of a lifetime.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/8/2009

Amberjack fishing was red hot today. Brian Belzer and neighbor, Jervey went deep-sea fishing today with the expectation of catching something big. We got this 65.5 lb monster AJ today on a special bait that big fish love. Brian, Jervey and Dewayne all had a great day fishing on the Distraction.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/7/2009

Wesley, Wilson and Rob show off their catch of big Red Snapper and King Mackerel. Steve Copeland of Tuscaloosa, Sam Graves formerly of Demopolis and Mike Wolfengerger all had a blast on this 6 hour bottom fishing trip.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/6/2009

The Tumbleson family from north Alabama came down to do some deep sea fishing. Damon, Beth, Steven, Jill and Lauren had a great 6 hour trip that rivaled even the best deep-sea fishing charters in Alabama. We enjoyed catching Red Snapper on light tackle.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/5/2009

Trolling fishing trips for King Mackerel are a lot of fun. John Prince and Audra Prince of Little Rock, Arkansas enjoyed an afternoon deep-sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama. We caught a lot of nice sized King Mackerel and watched their girls, Maddie (12) and Alex (7) enjoy themseslves.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/4/2009

The King Mackerel bite was really good today. The Hurst family enjoyed a morning of trolling fishing just south of Orange Beach. Justin, Jody, Scott, Taylor (13), Kylee (20) and uncle Mike all had a great time.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/4/2009

Heather Blanchard from Baton Rouge, Louisiana brought her parents, LJ and Angie deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama today. Her sister, Sheree with BF Patrick and brother, Justin also came along. We had a wonderful Red Snapper fishing day and even caught a King Mackerel.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/3/2009

Alex and Colin Marceaux from Lake Arthur and Jennings, Louisiana brought their friends from Houston, Texas with them fishing today. Deep Sea fishing in Alabama is nothing compared to Louisiana they said. We don't fish around the oil rigs like they do. They were amazed at how many nice sized Red Snapper we have on our artificial reefs. Justin, Josh, Rhett and Ryan also came with us. We had a blast with these young, professional men. We look forward to these guys returning next spring for a full day of fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/1/2009

When Crawford and Ann Gates bring their family fishing with us, they want to catch fish. Darrel, Jack, Susan and Adam all went deep sea fishing with us this morning and caught a lot of Red Snappers. We had to go through a rain shower to get to the honey hole. When we got their, the fish were biting like crazy. Everyone had a chance to catch their share of big Snappers on light tackle. We had a great time and had a lot in common.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/31/2009

The afternoon bite was pretty hot for Robert Lloyd's family from Texas. His son Daniel (17) caught his share of Red Snapper. Bill Mansfield brought his son's, Chris and Jonnie with him. These Texans sure know how to fish. We had some good ole fashioned light tackle action that left everyone exhausted.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/30/2009

Troy Crocker from Birmingham, Alabama came fishing with us today. Tina, Tony, Trae and Kelsey all went out on our six hour bottom fishing charter in Orange Beach. We caught some nice Red Snapper today that would make any angler proud. This family came to fish. Everyone caught their share of big snappers on our artificial reefs. This is what family fishing is all about. We look forward to Troy's family returning soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/29/2009

Mr. David Bunn of Birmingham, Alabama brought his son Ryan, daughter-in-law Jamie and Son-in-law, Terry deep sea fishing today. The weather was real nice and the Red Snapper were biting well here in Orange Beach. The fishing was good on every artificial reef we stopped on. Ryan is also known as Chris Daughtry of American Idol. We almost did not recognize the rock singer because he cut his signature beard down. We had a lot of fun with the Bunn family and look forward to their return.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/28/2009

Mr. Bill and Kathi Foust from Prarieville, La came down to Orange Beach, Alabama for a day of deep sea fishing with their daughter Alex and her friend Shelbie. We headed south this morning only to see some thunderstorms to our south. We stopped short to catch some Red Snapper for supper. We fished some close in spots for a while the thunderstorm moved east. We finally got a chance to head further offshore to deep water where we caught a lot of Amberjack on light tackle. Alex kept wanting to catch a shark. After she fought a few Amberjack, she decided she was too tired to handle a monster shark. Alex and Shelbie wore themselves out fighting these nice fish. It was a pleasure to have Mr. Foust and his family on board and look forward to having them return next year.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/26/2009

Patrick Bourque, Devin, Gabe and Mike all came in from Prarieville, La and Houston, Tx., to enjoy a morning of deep sea fishing in Orange Beach. They caught some nice Red Snapper, King Mackerel and Bonita. The weather in Orange Beach was great today. The fish were also biting well. We look forward to seeing these young men back next year.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/24/2009

Family fishing is especially rewarding when you have families like the Wells from Montgomery, Alabama return year after year. Sidney Wells brought his boys, Max and Alex deep sea fishing with us. These boys have certainly grown up. Their uncle Warren and cousin Austin also got to come again. Kenneth also joined us. Today was great. We caught Red Snapper, Amberjack, Vermilion Snapper and King Mackerel. These young men came to fish. It is fun watching them fight their own fish. These boys are funny and have become part of our fishing family. I can't wait to watch them next year. They pulled some funny pranks on me this year and I can't wait to get them back next year. Max, Alex and Austin "say What?" Get ready! See ya next year!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/23/2009

Dave and Angela Bartoni brought their son's Jacob and Justis down from southern Illinois to enjoy a day deep sea fishing in Orange Beach. The Red Snapper bite was great and Jacob and Justis had their first taste of light tackle saltwater fishing. Jacob even caught a nice Jack Crevalle in addition to the many Red Snappers. We really enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with some really fun people and look forward to their return.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/22/2009

When fishermen like Wade Johnson from Longview, Texas gets a chance to wet a hook with his sons, he tries to go with the best family fishing charter. Today was no exception. Wade brought his boys, Ben (11), Michael (10), friends Chuck Dowden, Zach and Justin with him. These Texans came to fish. The Red Snapper bite was on fire today. These boys had a blast catching Red Snapper, Bonita and King Mackerel on light tackle. Orange Beach gave this group of men the opportunity to have some fun and catch some nice fish. We are looking forward to Michael and Ben's return next year so we can watch them grow up and catch a few more fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/22/2009

The afternoon bite was on fire today for Stuart Mays, Jamie, Zack and Matt. These Tennessee natives had a blast catching some Red Snapper on light tackle this afternoon. We even caught a nice Amberjack that gave them a fight of a lifetime. The weather was great and the fish were almost on top of the water feeding. Orange Beach offered these anglers a chance to have some fun and catch a few fish for supper.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/21/2009

Dan Obrien and Rona came down to Gulf Shores, Alabama to get in some light tackle Red Snapper fishing today. The Red Snappers were biting like crazy. Today was mostly a catch and release trip because they only wanted a couple of fish for supper. The seas were calm and the fish were biting real good.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/21/2009

Richard, Laurie, Taylor and Jordan went deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama today to catch some nice Red Snapper. Taylor especially got lucky when he hooked into a trophy sized Jack Crevalle that gave him a fight of a life time. We appreciate the opportunity to watch families come together and experience a day on the water.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/20/2009

Brother Fred Wideman, Bryan, Dusty and Justin from Baton Rouge, La. came to Orange Beach, Alabama to do some fishing with us. They caught some nice size Red Snapper and a couple of King Mackerel. Today was a wonderful day fishing and we look forward to having our friends back next year.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/20/2009

Judge Tom Tedeschi and his son Dominick came deep sea fishing with us this afternoon to try light tackle, deep-fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama. Dominick caught some nice sized Red Snappers with his dad and little brother and sisters. It was a wonderful day on the water and this family had a great time watching their kids catch their first fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/17/2009

Curtis and his son Lee show off a nice Jack Crevalle that they caught with us today on a 6 hour deep sea fishing charter in Orange Beach, Alabama. Ms. Riley also joined in there to help show her dad and brother how to catch a big Red Snapper. Curtis and his family have been fishing with us for over 5 years now and it is always a pleasure to see friends every year and share the enjoyment of fishing with Lee and Riley and watching them grow up. We look forward to seeing the Sadler family from Fort Worth, Texas. Remember. If you ever get pulled over by a police officer in Fort Worth, Tx, you might say "you fish with distraction, don't you?" He might give you a break.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/16/2009

July 14 was no ordinary day. We had some Texans that came to catch some fish. Dr. Walt Mercer from Austin, Tx., brought his son Neilson (11) and his brother in laws, Charles and Steve Schugart. Steve's sons, Lance and Logan also came along. We caught some nice Red Snapper this morning and started working our way further offshore to see if we could catch some grouper and amberjack. We did have some luck catching scamp grouper, white snapper, vermilion snapper, big eye snapper, bonita and one monster 75.5 pound amberjack. These guys were really great and we look forward to seeing them again next year.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/14/2009

Afternoon deep-sea fishing charters are quite good during the summer months. The King Mackerel are usually pretty thick this time of year in Orange Beach. Alabama's gulf coast offered the Breaux family from Lumberton, Ms a great afternoon of trolling. The King's bit like crazy and everyone had a chance to fight a few fish. Danny brought his wife, Kathy, Sons Danny and Dustin along. Even cousin David got to come. Lindsey, Dustin's girlfriend even went with us. Today was a great day on the water, deep sea fishing for mackerel. The bite does not get better than today.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/11/2009

This morning was great. The weather was warm but the fish were biting. Robbie Ridgley brought his son Colby on his first deep sea fishing charter in Orange Beach, Alabama. Jimmy, Chris and brother-in-laws, Jarrad and Justin also came along. We caught some Red Snapper and an Amberjack, Bonita and King Mackerel. The morning bite was wonderful and so was this group.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/10/2009

For seven years now, Jim Hogan from Marietta, Ga has been bringing his sons deep sea fishing. We have watched these young men grow into some serious anglers. Today was no exception. We went way out, deep-sea fishing to try and catch some nice fish. We caught 8 Amberjack but all were about 1 inc to 1/2 inch too short. Nonetheless, they gave them all a great fight. We caught a few Triggerfish and one was almost 8 pounds. Jim caught a couple of nice Scamp Grouper that weighed in at around 7 pounds. Chris, Connor, Michael and Matthew all came again this year. We had a blast fishing with friends again. This was a very productive day and the weather in Orange Beach turned out nice.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/9/2009

Jimmy has been bringing his kids, Josh, Jamie and Austin deep sea fishing with us for over 7 years now. We have watched them all catch a lot of fish over the years. We have enjoyed watching them all grow up. Josh is almost a Dr. and Jamie is a RN. It seems like yesterday we all met and started deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama together. Today's fishing charter was great. We caught some nice Triggerfish, King Mackerel and Red Snapper. Jamie caught the biggest one. That is not uncommon for her. She has been competitive all her life. It is great to see Austin, who is a senior in high school come along and enjoy the same kind of fun as the rest of the family has been enjoying for years. Relationships are built on the water. It is friendship like this that lasts a lifetime.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/1/2009

Shane Phillips booked this 6 hour fishing charter for his family so they could catch some nice fish for supper. Ben, Drew, Tyler, Jeffery and Zach all enjoyed a nice afternoon fishing for Red Snapper and King Mackerel. We even caught a huge Jack Crevalle that gave them a fight of a lifetime.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/25/2009

Mr. Hal Kinsey from Missouri enjoyed a day with his sons, Hal jr., Chad and Keith. His grandson Hal III also came along. This great family has been fishing with us for years and it is always a pleasure to take them out to try and catch some nice Red Snapper and Amberjack. The bonus was the Mangrove Snapper. We caught mingo snappers also. It was a great day fishing. We had a strong current that was moving the water swiftly. We did manage to catch a good mess of fish for the Kinsey family to cook for their family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/24/2009

Brent, Kurt and Mr.Joel Truelove from Texas chose one of our 8 hour charters. We had a great day fishing and the weather was hot. The fish bite was good. The fishing was good all day long. We caught Amberjack, Red Snapper and Mangrove Snappers.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/23/2009

Gary Broussard enjoyed a nice Saturday afternoon deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama with his sons, Webb, Evan and Jacob. They also had their friends James Allen and Trey with them. We headed out of Perdido Pass for some afternoon action. We rode for about 1 hour and 45 minutes to get to a reef that I had not fished since last year. Lem showed the boys how to use the light tackle fishing gear and we began fishing. Every one of the boy's hooked up on monster Red Snappers and got wrecked. Nobody could handle these monster fish. We kept breaking off. The light tackle was not holding up to these big fish, nor was luck. We moved around until we found some nice snappers that weighed between 5 and 8 pounds. These fish proved to be a challenge for these boys. They had some of the best light tackle action one could have in the salwater, south of Orange Beach, Alabama.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/20/2009

The Boeckman brothers from Ohio came down to enjoy a morning trolling for King Mackerel. Trent Boeckman, the eldest brother, along with his brothers, Todd Boeckman and Toby Boeckman came together with their uncle Steve Saintmyer and cousin Aaron. Scott even came along. We headed south out of Orange Beach this morning to see try and catch some King Mackerel. The bite was slow at first, but we started getting some good bites about 9 am. The kings and spanish bit well up all the way back to the dock. The Boeckman brothers are some kind of neat guys. Gentlemen to be short. Trent played baseball, Toby was a lineman for the University of Cincinnati and Todd was the former Quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes. It was a real pleasure fishing with guys that were so cool. This is what I like best about my job. We get to meet real people from all over the country. We all have one thing in common. That is having fun and catching a few fish. Good luck Todd in the NFL. Steve, please stay away from the green paint. We look foreward to seeing these guys again. It was a fun charter.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/14/2009

Jordan Stanley from Longview, Tx., brought his family deep sea fishing in Orange Beach this afternoon. Clint Black and his son Samuel were also along to catch some fish. John Paul came down from MIT to catch a few fish himself. Gabrielle and Victoria, who are Dr. Stanley's daughters were absolutely amazing fishermen. All of these kids fished hard and they all caught fish. I even had some help from Sam and Gabrielle driving the boat home. It was an amazing day catching Red Snapper, Bluefish, Flounder, Redfish, Amberjack and Lane Snapper. Sometimes the fishing is so good, you forget about the days it's tough. We really enjoyed meeting and serving this family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/12/2009

Ron Bergkoetler from Illinois came fishing today with his father, Mr. Tom, Brother Dean and Brother-in-law Joe. We caught one huge King Mackerel that was over 20 pounds. We caught plenty of Red Snapper. We had a great time this morning out in the gulf waters south of Orange Beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/12/2009

Kent Bowers brought his family down from Cumming, Ga to enjoy a day on the water with us. His wife Connie and their children Taylor and Grant went out on our afternoon 6 hour trip. The fish bite was tough at first. The high pressure system was keeping the bite slow. We finally got on some biting fish and then it was on. We caught two Gag Groupers we had to release because they were too small. We caught some nice Red Snapper and a Bonita. It was wonderful serving this family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/112009

The Doug Smith family from Monroeville, Alabama came deep sea fishing with us on Thursday. The weather was great. We caught plenty of Red Snapper and two gag groupers. We even caught a nice king mackerel and an Amberjack we had to release. Another wonderful day on the water in Orange Beach, Alabama

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/112009

Dr. Turpin brought his wife Yeni and sons Fernando 17, and Daniel 11 on their first deep sea fishing charter with us today. The weather was warm but the gentle sea breaze helped cool us down. The bite was slow at first. We kept moving around trying to find some biting fish. We finally got on a good bite and caught a couple of nice gag groupers. We caught mangrove snapper and king mackerel. We even caught a bonita. We had a great time fishing with Dr. Turpins family and sons. This was a great day with great results.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/10/2009

Cathy Lindley from Kentucky booked this fishing charter for her family a while back. Cathy brought Mr. Pat, Brad, Chris, Ted and Ronnie with her. We had a great day fishing. We caught Red Snapper, cobia, mangrove snapper, mingo snapper and topped it all off with a 300 pound class Bull Shark. Lem asked them if they would like to catch a big shark and sure enough, the big one bit. We finally got the big bull shark up to the surface. We noticed a nice cobia swimming with the shark. Lem flipped a live bait out there while Ronnie was trying to hold the shark. The cobia bit and immediately took out a lot of line. The cobia was swimming on top when another big bull shark came to the surface chasing the hooked cobia. It was awesome. The cobia was too small and we had to release him. Just another great day on the gulf of mexico, deep sea fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/9/2009

Don Raborn from Monroe, La brought his teenage sons and their friends with him today on a 6 hour charter. We had Don's sons, Hunter and Hayden with him. They brought their friends, Raley and Tyler. Zach Wood also joined the Raborn family. The weather in Orange Beach was beautiful today. We caught Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper and got to fight and catch and then release a nice 23" Amberjack. These boys came to fish. We really enjoy fishing with kids like these. They were gentlemen and I am honored to serve them.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/8/2009

When our friends come from Louisiana to go deep sea fishing, we know they expect to have a good time and catch some fish. Today was no exception. Kyle Patterson brought his two sons, Matthew and Brighton on their first deep sea fishing charter in Orange Beach, Alabama. Kyle was also joined by his childhood friend Dave, who is a now a Musician from the Dallas, Texas area. Dan, who is Kyles neighbor brought his son, Tyler with him. These men and their son's had a blast catching Red Snapper, Mangrove Snapper, King Mackerel, Bonita on our 6 hour fishing charter. The kids loved the light tackle because it was not heavy. The dad's loved it because it allowed them to fight a lot of Red Snapper and have fun doing it. We love to see families like the Patterson's enjoy a day on the water with friends.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/3/2009

Brian Belzer from Baton Rouge is a regular guest on Distraction. He is more like family. Brian was joined today by his friends Jervey Cheveallier, David Lindsey and David's son, Travis. Brian always comes to Orange Beach from Baton Rouge to do his saltwater fishing. Brian loves to take the 12 hour fishing charter that we offer. Today was no exception to the Man who wears the Yellow and the Purple. Yes, he is an LSU fan. He is also loves jigging for Amberjack. We caught Red Grouper, Gag Grouper, Scamp Grouper, Amberjack, Almaco Jacks and on the way home, we hooked a big Yellowfin Tuna. It was a classic day on the water. Even though it was the opening day of Red Snapper season, we did not target snappers at all. We ended up catching a good mess of them, they were not what Brian wanted. He wanted good eating fish like triggerfish and grouper. He certainly got them today fishing in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach. We love days like this when everything comes together.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/1/2009

Clint Butler and his wife, boys, friends and nephews came down to Orange Beach to go on a deep sea fishing charter today. We caught Jack Crevalle, King Mackerel, Bonita, Amberjack, Red Snapper and even had a shark bite one of our snappers into. We had a great day fishing the gulf waters, south of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. The bite was on fire today.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/31/2009

Dr. John Bennett from Tuscaloosa brought his son John Jr. with him on a 4 hour fishing charter in Orange Beach today. Dr. John's father, Pastor Don and his father-in-law, Terry all headed out with us this afternoon for a King Mackerel trolling charter. The bite was a little slow at first because of the strong west wind that kicked up. The seas were only 1 foot but were choppy for a little while. The later in the afternoon, the King Mackerel bite got red hot. We ended up catching King Mackerel, Spanish Mackerel and Blue Runners. This afternoon was a classic trolling fishing charter in Orange Beach. We got our guests the fish they needed to have a cook out tonight. Thanks for your business.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/29/2009

Dr. Phillip Cole from Mobile brought his father, Dr. Cole and his brother-in-law, Tim for a 6 hour charter fishing trip today in Orange Beach, Alabama. We headed south this morning with a gentle west breeze blowing across our charter boat. We trolled out toward deeper seas when we caught a nice King Mackerel. We stopped and reef fished for Red Snapper but had to release them. We caught Spanish Mackerel, Scamp, Bonita in addition to the big Red Snapper. Today was a good day for deep sea fishing. We really enjoyed having this family fishing with us and look forward to their return trip.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/29/2009

Mrs. Lynn Mullins from New Mexico brought their family to us for a trolling charter. The King Mackerel bite was extraordinary today. James, Brad, Meg, Elle and Tipton all caught a lot of fish in a short period of time. It seemed like everything we through in the water, the king mackerel bit. What an awesome day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/28/2009

Dr. Doug Mercier, Linda, Lily, Mathew and Matt took our 6 hour deep sea fishing charter today. We caught Red Snapper, King Mackerel, Mangrove Snapper and a huge 300 pound Bull Shark. Today was an awesome day that wore everyone out. We caught some nice sized fish today. It was a real pleasure taking Doug and Linda's family out fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/27/2009

JB Martindale, Stephanie brought their sons, Jamie (9) and Cade (6)on their first deep sea fishing trolling charter. Mr. Jim, the grandpa got to go and watch his kids and grandchildren catch their first King Mackerel. We caught some nice Mackerel just outside the pass. The bite was red hot. It was a great afternoon fishing. Gage and Jamie helped me drive the boat.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/26/2009

Jeff Henson and his 10 year old son Eric came down to Orange Beach for a 4 hour trolling charter. Jeff's Brother-in-law Craig and his son Stephen joined them. We headed out for a wonderful morning of trolling fishing. We had some good action closer to shore but almost every mackerel were small. We went further offshore in hopes to catch some larger fish. We finally got into a good school of King Mackerel and Spanish. The best thing was, we got to video the whole charter for their entertainment for years.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/26/2009

Tim Waycaster and Blane Mire from Natchez, Ms., brought their kids on their first deep sea fishing charter to Gulf Shores, Alabama. We caught a nice mess of Snapper, King Mackerel, Bonita and a mangrove Snapper. We had a wonderful day on the water this Memorial Day. We look forward to serving our friends again, soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/25/2009

Dr. Steed and Dr. Boling of Jackson, Ms brought their 10 year-old sons, Toryn and Hughes deep sea fishing today. We wanted the boys to get their first taste of deep sea fishing on our introduction to saltwater fishing charter. Our 4 hour charter is ideal for first time fishermen and young men who want to spend some quality time with their dads. We headed out the pass and headed south. We went directly into the rolling seas. The weather finally broke this week and this was the first day we could go trolling for King Mackerel. We trolled for just over an hour before we got our first hit. It was a nice King Mackerel. Everyone had a chance to catch some nice Mackerel and had a wonderful day on the water. We really appreciate Dr. Steed and Dr. Boling for allowing us to serve their family's fishing needs.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/24/2009

The neat thing about deep sea fishing is that it bridges the generation gap between families. We all the time have three generations fishermen go out and enjoy our services. Today was a special treat because we had four generations. Mr. Len is the leader of the family at a mere 85 years young. He is as agile as any person half his age. His son in law, Jim, his grandson Scott and his son Noah (11) all came out for a day on the water. The day started with a cloudy sky and a little rain on the horizon. The seas were about 2 feet and were very mild. We were heading toward a rain cloud and we got to see a big water spout. It disappeared as quickly as it showed. I watched the cloud with our radar and we decided to go through the rain. It was about a mile wide. We were trolling when the high speed fishing pole got a strike. It only took a minute before Noah grabbed the rod and reel. It was an exhausting fight. We got it to the boat and it was a fine Cow Dolphin fish or what we call Mahi-Mahi. We continued south and started bottom fishing where we caught some nice Red Snapper, King Mackerel, Amberjack and Bonita. It was a real pleasure to be able to serve four generations of fishermen. Noah did a good job driving the boat home.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/17/2009

Zach booked this fishing charter so his fellow police officers could see what light tackle deep sea fishing was all about. We headed out on an afternoon 6 hour fishing charter. Sarge who is actually named Chris came along as did, Jody, John and the newest member also named Chris. We trolled out for about an hour and a half. We hooked a couple of King Mackerel on the ride. We started bottom fishing where we caught an Amberjack that was too small. We also caught plenty of Red Snapper on light tackle.. We even had a dolphin show up and swam around the boat. On the way in, we caught a Bonita. It was a wonderful day on the water. We love watching the Sun go down on the horizon on these afternoon charters. I would like to thank the men in blue who are working when the rest of us are sleeping. Good job and be safe!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/16/2009

Bryan booked this fishing charter because he wanted his friends to enjoy a great, light tackle fishing experience. It was called a bachelor party but was far more than that. It was a time where young men to come together and experience a great time together. Breck is graduating from Medical School on May 23 and was getting married on the 24th. These guys all grew up together and attended Mississippi State together and are best of friends. Brett, Cade and Ben came along to help celebrate Breck's graduation and marriage. This is the great thing about having friends for life. We caught King Mackerel, Red Snapper, Spanish Mackerel, Mangrove Snapper and we had a large Cobia come up and bite. That monster fish fought hard and Bryan had the fight of a lifetime. We look forward to having a long lasting relationship with these guys as they grow and start having their own families.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/16/2009

Sometimes words can't explain how wonderful it is to be on the water, deep sea fishing with friends. Mr. Jon, Jeff, Mary Ann, Merry K, Luke and Ree Ree came with us on our 6 hour charter. We got to see a water spout, flying fish and had a shark bite a big Red Snapper into. The King Mackerel showed up and started biting well. The Red Snapper bite was on. We really enjoyed spending time with the Nevins family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/15/2009

Dr. Tim Waack and his family came all the way from Fort Smith, Arkansas to enjoy a day on the saltwater fishing. Matt, Ashley, Brian, Chris and Heidi all caught more fish than they could imagine. Everyone loved using the light tackle to catch reef fish. Ashley caught a nice cobia that gave her a big fight. Matt caught an amberjack that was a lot of fun. We even got to see a sea turtle and some wild dolphins. It was a wonderful May day on the water.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/11/2009

Josh, Amanda and Brittany came all the way from Baton Rouge to enjoy a 6 hour charter. The weather was beautiful all day. The fish were biting good. Josh got a chance to catch a nice Bull Shark that we will be posting on our Youtube account. We even caught a big grouper on the last reef and a shark bit him in half. The head weighed over 8 pounds. What a wonderful, exciting day fishing in the gulf.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/8/2009

Doug came all the way from Selma, Alabama to enjoy a day with his sons on the gulf. The typical spring weather kept us from getting offshore for a few days. Finally, Friday rolled around and we had some good weather and rolling seas. The Red Snapper bit well and Doug got to hook and fight a big shark.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/2/2009

Dr. Rod, Cheryl, RJ and Christina came down from Mississippi to take an Orange Beach, Alabama Spring fishing charter. Surprisingly, we awoke to a 4 foot rollers this morning coming from the southeast. The crazy thing was the water current was coming from the west. That meant, we had to hold the boat into the wind while the fishing lines went under the boat. The fish bite was slow all morning due to the west current and dirty water. There was a lot of debris such as river logs and sticks floating in the Gulf of Mexico. We had to watch carefully as we navigated. We caught a lot of Red Snapper but had to let them go. We used our fish descender to return them. It is working well. We even caught a Ruby Lip and a Mangrove Snapper. The fish bite was off but the size of the fish were larger than normal. I guess the big ones are moving in. Dr. Rod & RJ spent a lot of time with me upstairs in the wheelhouse. RJ gave me a break and drove the boat in for me. He did a great job. We look forward to the Givens return trip in the fall to try and catch some winter bull redfish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/25/2009

Hannah from east Texas brought her dad, James Lawless along on her 6 hour grouper fishing trip. The fish bit real well all afternoon. We caught Red Snapper but had to release them. We even hooked and caught two sharks.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/15/2009

Randy brought his children to Orange Beach on a spring 4 hour trolling trip. The fish bite was good and we ended up catching a nice mess of Spanish Mackerel. Jake, Drew, Chloe and Joe all enjoyed fishing with their dad.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/8/2009

The Freyberg family came all the way from Wisconsin to enjoy a Spanish Mackerel trolling trip. Gary, Frederica, Ford, Maddie and Hank all had a blast catching those mackerel on light tackle, just right off the beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/7/2009

Brian loves to catch Amberjack while deep sea fishing in Orange Beach, Alabama. The fishing was tough and we found ourselves further offshore trying to find some areas where fishing pressure was less. We found some Amberjacks but we had to work hard for them.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/6/2009

Lindsey and the rest of her friends came in from Texas A&M for a relaxing spring break in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The weather was beautiful and the fish were biting the light tackle like crazy. We all had a blast catching Red Snapper, Grouper and Amberjack.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/19/2009

Vicki shows off a nice Red Snapper caught on light tackle. Ron caught a nice grouper also.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/18/2009

We have finally moved into a spring like pattern. We are having some good 70 to 75 degree days. The water temperature is running about 65 degrees offshore. The offshore fish bite is tough within 25 miles of shore. We are waiting for the water temp to get close to 70 degrees so the fish start moving toward shore. A 6 hour trip can prove to be tough fishing during this seasonal transition. 10 hour trips or longer would be recommended if you wanted to catch more meat. A six hour trip during mid March can be fun if you don't want to keep much to eat. A four hour trolling trip should still be ok. The cobia are starting to show up but would expect them to really get good toward April 1. The redfish have also slowed a bit but are still being caught just offshore.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/14/2009

Spring is almost hear and the Redfish are still running pretty good. A cold front came through today and the bite was decent. A couple of bonita were caught also. Jack Crevalle's are out there too! We are looking forward to a great spring business.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/2/2009

Distraction has just gone through its annual haul out and safety inspection. We are back in the water and ready to serve saltwater anglers.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 2/7/2009

I just got the news. My daughter and her husband Bryan are expecting my first grandchild. I will be headed out to get the little fella a fishing pole. Or, I will be headed out to get her a fishing pole? Decisions. What do you get a captains grandchild? Don't know. My wife is shaking her head at me. Anyway, my life is changing again. Thank you God!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 2/5/2009

The bullreds are running like crazy. We have been seeing the most action off Gulf Shores after frontal passage. We are trolling and have had a lot of luck sight casting. We hope they stay around until April like they did in 2008. These light tackle near shore family fishing trips are 4 hours in length with the opportunity to stay longer if you like.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 1/22/2009

Marty, Dan, Ed, Bro Jason and Scotty came down from Corinth Ms area and Nashville to enjoy some really good light tackle red snapper fishing. We caught a lot of red snapper but had to realease them because of seasonal closure. We also caught some nice trigger fish, vermilion snapper and one real nice grouper. We also caught a nice spanish and a king mackerel. The weather was very pleasant and seas were about 2 to 3 foot. We really enjoyed serving these men and enjoyed their fellowship.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/8/2008

Brandon, Jack, Wes, Steven, Robbie and Charles booked this trip with the anticipation of catching some fish and having a great day on the deep sea fighting red snapper on light tackle. We left Orange Beach and headed to one of our honey holes to see if we could get these guys some fish to put on the grill tonight. It was a good ride but when we got there, the fish were waiting on us. They were hungry! We fished a few spots but did not catch anything big. We did catch some nice Vermilion Snapper that were larger than normal. We ended up with a nice mess of fish to eat. We caught some nice red snapper on light tackle and a nice king mackerel.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/29/2008

Chuck, Terri, Scott and Bryant came down to Orange Beach from Missouri to enjoy a day red snapper fishing. Bryant "19", was enjoying his first trip ever on the Gulf of Mexico when he hooked this trophy size 26 lb red snapper on his first drop. Can you imagine catching a trophy size fish on your first drop? Well, this was the largest red snapper caught in a while. Bryant made it look easy! Yea, right. He whined and grunted the whole time as he battled this amazing red snapper. We all had a great day and look forward to doing this again.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/14/2008

Our family friendship goes back to 1968 when we first met the Mills family. Taylor, Nancy, Mike and Ricky all came together from Alabama, Georgia and Florida to share some memories while deep sea fishing. We all grew up together and have been lifelong friends. Even though our lives have carried us in different directions, we all manage to pick up right where we left off when we see each other. Its cool having friends for life. We had a great day fishing. We caught Red Snapper, White Snapper, Vermilion Snapper and a nice Amberjack. I appreciate the opportunity to serve my friends.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/2/2008

Well, all I can say is it was the funniest backlash ever. Kevin from Texas was fishing for Red Snapper when a big Cobia came up and hit his bait. Before he could stop the fish by applying pressure with his thumb on the spool of line, the fish exploded and went to peeling line. The Cobia pulled so hard and so fast, Kevin did not have time to put his reel in gear and fight him. All we heard was the reel peeling line and a big POW! We looked down and Kevin was dumbfounded by the mess it created. We all laughed with Kevin and at him. We wanted to celebrate the worst backlash ever of a shimano reel we have ever seen in 30 years of fishing. If you ever have a backlash, please remember to laugh instead of getting frustrated. It's just fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/29/2008

Darrell, Kim and Courtney came all the way from Hendersonville, Tn today to share a family fishing outing with Darrells father, Mr. Elzie and sister Angie. Angie's dad Mr. Frank also came along for the red snapper fishing trip. We had a blast today catching fish and fighting the big ones. Everyone on the boat caught more fish than you could imagine. We caught mostly Red Snapper on today's six hour trip. It is a real treat to serve families like these.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/29/2008

We sure enjoyed today's fishing trip. We headed out South of Orange Beach today toward some deep water. We picked up some nice King Mackerel and one really nice Barracuda. The Big Red Snappers bit well. We were trying to get some Amberjack to bite but were unsuccessful. We caught a few small ones but had to release them. We fished some deep water but the water quality was poor and the heat of the day did not help us. We can hardly wait for some cooler days in the fall for the bite to pick back up. We did have a great time watching John, Mike, Hayden, Hunter and Donna catch fish all day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/24/2008

When the Wells family comes fishing with you, you had better get ready to have some fun. Alex, Max, Austin and Zack brought their parents with them today to show them how they can catch fish. Austin (10) caught a 22 lb Red Snapper on the first reef this morning. Wow! Everyone caught an amberjack today but we had to release most of them because they were too small to keep. We really had fun fishing with my friends who have fished with us for the past four years. I have had the pleasure of watching these boys grow, mature and catch fish since they were just 6 years old. Boy can they fish. Laughter was heard all day long. This is why I love my job! Good job guys. Be sure to check out their video on youtube on our website.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/17/2008

Sheldon from near Austin, Tx. brought his mom and dad on an 8 hour family deep sea fishing trip today. I have had kids drive the boat on a daily basis. Today was an extraordinary day fishing. The bite was slow at first until that sun went down a bit. The seas were a little choppy with an East wind but we managed to catch some nice Red Snapper and a couple of King Mackerel. Don and Shelley sat back today and watched Sheldon catch some nice big fish. Sheldon came upstairs on the way in and asked could he drive the boat. For over 25 miles, the autopilot was off but I could not tell it. Sheldon kept the boat on heading and steered us all the way home. Sheldon is a natural young captain. I bet someday he will be running his own boat. You know, Orange Beach is family oriented. It's days like this that make my day special. Seeing kids with their parents catching fish and building memories. I really enjoy watching a family have fun and catch a few fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/16/2008

The Hunter family from Tulsa, Ok. came all the way to Orange Beach for a family vacation. Joel and Karen brought Ryan, Bryant, Rachel and Jonathan out on a light tackle deep sea fishing trip. Today was a six hour trip. The weather was overcast and the water temperature was 7 degrees lower than the previous day. We pulled up on a few spots and the Red Snapper greeted us on top of the water. We kept fishing with our light tackle and Rachel caught a big Cobia right behind the boat. It weighed 31 lbs. Her boyfriend Jonathan caught a monster 18 pound red snapper just after that. It seemed that the big snapper were going to bite all afternoon. We returned to Orange Beach with some exhausted customers. Catching so many fish was overwhelming. We really enjoy watching family members interact with each other. Smiling, Laughing and just a great time is what they got today along with a great fish bite.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/14/2008

Executive retreats are great for all corporations. Today was a wonderful day. Ken, for the third time this year brought his key corporate management team for a deep sea fishing trip off Orange Beach. Ken brought his son Clay along with him. He also had his key executive decision managers like Danny, Justin, Allen and Duane. Everyone of these guys had a chance to fight and catch a lot of nice fish today. Yes, we did lose two monsters that we will never know what they were. One thing for sure, these executives and corporate managers sure have some great memories about their day fishing on Distraction. We had no problem catching Red Snapper. The White Snapper bit like crazy. The Amberjack were a little slower, but when we got a bite, it almost pulled the arms off the anglers. We had fun and laughed at all these guys fighting fish all day. We look forward to the day when Ken's men all get to come back and spend another day with us.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/13/2008

What would you do if you were fishing for Red Snapper and something big bit your bait? Well, Kirk was fishing over the reef when something big hit his light tackle and started pulling. It did not pull like an Amberjack or a Grouper. It did not pull like a shark. Well, it pulled like a state record Red Snapper. Boy we were wrong. Kirk fought the monster fish for almost 25 minutes and when it surfaced, it was a large Jack Crevalle. We call them "Alabama Yellowfin." Do not confuse it with Yellowfin Tuna. It has a yellow fin and it fights harder than any other fish in shallow water. Pound for pound, they are tougher than most species we catch.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/11/2008

Jim Hogan has been fishing with me since my first year in the business. Jim started bringing his two sons Chris and Steven when they were 11 and 12 years old. They are now 17 and 18. Jim believes believes in building memories with his kids just as his dad did with him. Over the years Jim added Connor, Michael and this year we got to meet Matthew. It is a delight when we get to watch a family come together year after year and spend time fishing together. I believe that Orange Beach, Alabama offers some of the best family fishing along the Gulf Coast. Today was great. We caught and released over 30 amberjacks and bunches of snapper. We only harvested a few for dinner. The fight was incredible. Those kids caught fish almost every drop. A couple of times today, we had hundreds of red snapper and black snapper swimming around the boat. What an exciting day with a long time friend and his family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/10/2008

Kevin and his family headed out today for 10 hours. We fished South of Orange Beach some 30 miles. We caught amberjack, red snapper and one monster Black (mangrove) Snapper. Kevin knew it was a big one when it hit. We thought it was another Amberjack. When it broke the surface, we were all surprised to see such a big mangrove snapper. We knew it would be close to the Alabama State Record. We brought it in and we missed it by just one pound. It is still a trophy size black snapper. Kelly, Ryan and Dustin all had a great time today catching fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/9/2008

Mark took a break from flying Boeing 757's today to bring his two sons on a four hour trip. We had Brice and Hunter onboard to enjoy the late afternoon trip. We started trolling out about 4 pm and there was not a great bite at all. We kept pulling our trolling lures and heading South. We had one reel get slammed and then another. Brice reeled up and when the big Bull Red almost got to the boat, the hook bent out and the big bull red got away. Well, we kept moving out. We picke up a few kings and some of them were smaller and we released them. We made our turn with the evening sun and started heading North. I was watching my sonar and ran over a school of big red dots or echo's. I told Lem to watch this! Just about that time, two rods were hit so hard they broke the lines and took all our tackle with them. At that time, the other two rods we had out trolling with got slammed. Brice grabbed one and his father Mark grabbed the other. The first fish was Brice's. He had caught and landed a nice Bull Red. Mark was on the other side of the boat getting beat to death by the tugging sea monster. We thought if this is a red fish, it was going to be a record. We got it up to the boat and we netted a nice Jack Crevalle. With sweat dripping from his head, Mark sat down for a rest. His forearms were a aching and he was physically exhausted from the fun fight. No matter what ever happens, Mark, Brice and Hunter have shared a father and son experience that will last a lifetime. This trip will be forever etched into their memory.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/3/2008

Tom, Kevin and John caught a nice mess of fish on today's 6 hour deep sea red snapper trip. We caught a lot of red snapper and we had the excitement of watching Tom bring up a monster fish (we thought)? It was pulling hard. Tom kept reeling and all of a sudden, the red snapper was coming up on the hook with no body. We all saw just the head on a hook when a monster bull shark came all the way up and almost hit the boat trying to get the snapper head back. Tom had hooked a red snapper and a bull shark had eaten it. This was the most spectacular sight. The monster shark was on top of the water coming at the boat. Imagine seeing that! The shark must have been 300 lbs and 8 foot in lenght. We did not have a camera ready because we were not expecting to see a bull shark attack. One thing for sure, we all have a memory that will never go away. Beautiful, amazing and a one of a kind experience!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/2/2008

Brian is no stranger to catching big fish. He loves to fish for those fighting amberjacks. We headed South today to try and get out to an area that has been known to produce some nice jacks. We rode for 3 hours and about 3 miles before we got to where we wanted to fish, we ran into a major thunderstorm that went from East to West for over 20 miles with lightning. Well, we made a right turn to avoid the storm. We fished several spots and only caught red snapper and vermilion snapper. As usual, the bite slowed about 11 am but picked up again around 2 pm. We finally made some amberjacks bite but they were smaller 24 to 26 inches. We can only keep 28" and larger. Well, Lem pulled a trick out of the had and sent Brian down and goodness gracious, wham!!! A nice 33 inch amberjack was caught. We caught and released quite a few more and caught another legal jack to take to the house. We sure enjoy watching Brian fight those amberjack on light tackle.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/30/2008

Corporate fishing is fast becoming the preferred way to go deep sea fishing in Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Today's corporate deep sea fishing trip is one of many that James, Terry, Mike, Tim and Mark are taking with us this year. We really appreciate having these guys on our boat fishing for a day. We headed out this morning with fairly calm seas. We fished several reefs and had some luck with white snapper, red snapper and vermilion snapper. The bite slowed way down by 11 am and was that way until about 2 pm. I guess the dog days of summer are upon us. We kept fishing hard and finally got some scamp grouper and amberjack to bite. It was not easy but we worked hard. It was a real pleasure to watch all these corporate guys catch some fish and have some fun.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/29/2008

Heath called me the first part of May wanting to book a fishing trip with his friends. We finally got a chance to meet today. Heath, Adam, Chris and Courtney all went out on an 8 hour trip. We caught nice red snapper all day long. On the way in, we picked up a few king mackerel. The weather was beautiful and the fish were hungry. It's a pleasure to meet new people. Especially when you find out that Courtney's dad was a first cousin to my old brother-in-law. Small world. Wonderful people.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/28/2008

You could not have asked for a more beautiful day than today. Almost calm seas, gentle breeze and a few clouds and rain showers in the distance. Larry booked this family fishing trip a while back. He told me he wanted to bring his family down to Orange Beach to do a full day of deep sea fishing. Scott, Ashley, Kelleigh and Michael all went on this adventure. We started the morning by fishing for hard tails for bait. We caught a few and began heading offshore. We were going to try and get some of those Amberjack. There must have been a lack of oxygen in the water because about an hour out, the bait did not survive. We went on out and caught a bunch of Red Snapper on the first hole. We fished several spots and ended up catching a couple of nice Amberjacks. We also lost a few big ones. At least they got a chance to fight them. We had a wonderful day with a wonderful family. We are looking forward to next June so we can do it again.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/26/2008

Will caught his first dorado while trolling home from a six hour red snapper fishing trip. We lost several big fish this afternoon. Red snappers were biting real well considering a pretty strong current. We put the trollers out on the way back in and the king mackerel bit almost every few minutes. We only kept the largest ones and released the rest. A dorado hit one of the trolling lures and Will got him in. Cory and Jerry had a blast catching King Mackerel and Red Snapper all afternoon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/24/2008

Darryl, Darryl jr., Justin, Brent, Michael and Aladin all enjoyed a morning of deep sea saltwater fishing for red snapper.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/24/2008

Michael and Dawn brought their family down from Missouri to enjoy a family day of deep sea fishing in Orange Beach. Corey, Stephanie and Makenzie had a blast catching Red Snapper and King Mackerel. Makenzie who is the youngest, caught 6 red snappers in a row and had her whole family watching her. It was funny watching her catch them one after another and her dad Michael looked on in awe! Eventually, the others learned how to catch those snappers and everyone caught their share.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/23/2008

Not many people realize it, but its the same drive from Dallas, Tx to Gulf Shores, Al as it is to Corpus. I guess that is why Mike and Annette brought their family to Orange Beach for a vacation. Michael, Destin, Andrea and Candice all spent a laid back six hour fishing trip catching Red Snapper and King Mackerel.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/23/2008

We all have special friends in our lives that we have known since childhood. Well, today was one of those days when lifelong friends come together and spend a day on the water fishing and just enjoying the day remembering what made them friends for life. Special moments are captured by a camera, but the memories will last a lifetime. Derek, Dale, Taylor and Phillip got away for a few hours to go and catch some red snapper. The weather was good but we had to dodge a big thunderstorm that moved South. The fish bit well on our light tackle. These guys had a blast.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/22/2008

What do you get when you get your brother and your best friends together on a charter boat for six hours? You get Tim, Michael, Heath, Brent and Fred having a blast catching some fish. The red snapper bit well today. We had red snappers high in the water column and they were very hungry. When Fred was reeling one up, a monster barracuda fish came up and bit his red snapper in half. All Fred had left was the head of the snapper. He dangled it in the water and the barracuda came up four or five times trying to eat it. That was pretty cool. We really enjoy watching customers have fun and catch some fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/20/2008

Scott Henslee, owner of Bowfishing Extreme up in Missouri brought his son Ryan with him down for a family fishing trip. With them came Lynn, Aaron, Holly and Lacey. We headed South from Orange Beach for a six hour deep sea fishing trip. The Red Snapper were trying to eat all afternoon. We caught a lot of fish in a short period of time. The dolphins showed up and pushed the red snappers down to the bottom but we managed to get a mess of them anyway. We finished our six hour trip by trolling for King Mackerel and we did have some luck. We missed a few but managed to get a couple of nice ones. Be sure to shop with Scott at his online store at http://bowfishingextreme.com and he will gladly assist you.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/19/2008

Terry booked this trip and told me he had a bunch of 6 to 8 year-olds kids he wanted to entertain on a family deep sea fishing trip. Orange Beach has long been known for its family environment. We worked our way out to the deep sea and started fishing for red snapper and king mackerel. We ended up catching a mess of red snapper but we pulled up on one reef and Audrey let down her line and caught a 20.6 lb red snapper. What a wonderful day with Terry, Charles, Angelica, Colin, Audrey and Lilly. These kids were the best!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/18/2008

Today the Washington family came together for a 6 hour deep sea fishing trip. We caught red snapper and king mackerel all morning long. We had a couple break our line but Jarrod caught one nice one that he showed off all day. Jimmy, Andrea, Jarrod, Josh and Uncle Tim are from the Texarakana, Ar. and Dallas, Tx. We really enjoy watching a family fish for red snapper in the gulf shores.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/17/2008

Reggie called me to book their first deep sea fishing trip. He had seen the up to date fishing reports and saw how we handled kids while deep sea fishing. We decided on a four hour trip for the first trip to see how the the kids would do. We headed out about 3:45 this afternoon hoping to get a good king mackerel bite. It was a little slow until we got out to deep seas. When the King Mackerel started hitting, they were on fire. We caught a few nice ones, a couple of big ones but most of all, we enjoyed watching all the kids reel in a few fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/16/2008

When you come all the way from Austin, Texas to Gulf Shores there is only a few things to do. You either go sit on the beach and watch the charter boats go out to sea or you can be the one on the charter boat heading out to sea. You have no idea what kind of fun a family can have when you get your family together and take them deep sea fishing in Orange Beach. Jim booked this trip because he knew that we would give him an awesome fishing trip and take care of his daughters every need. Michelle, Jim's better half caught a big Red Snapper herself that weighed over 10 pounds. Jim and Michelle's daughters, Kate, Abbey and Hannah got a chance to catch some quality Red Snapper themselves. We really enjoyed having the Rogan family and watching them catch some Red Snapper. Gulf Shores offers some of the best deep sea fishing for families. We work hard to make sure you have fun and catch fish. Its up to you to hook them, laugh and reel them in.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/14/2008

Chris told us this morning that he wanted to catch a shark. He wanted to feel something big pull on the line. We decided to head out and try to catch some King Mackerel and then if we had time, we would try to catch a nice shark. We pulled some lures and caught some hard tails. We started heading offshore pulling a couple of #3 planers with a cigar minow. We had a hit that was so hard, the rod almost jumped out of its holder. We had hooked something big. Maybe it was an Alabama Yellowfin (jack crevalle) but it was pulling harder than normal. Our light tackle held up for over an hour and we could never gain very much. We could only assume a big monster shark. Its head would shake and try and throw the hook but it couldn't. Chris and Spencer took turns fighting the big shark until both were exhausted. Chris kept fighting the shark until it finally cut the leader. We kept on fishing for King Mackerel. We caught quite a few kings and released them all. We never got the shark up enough to get a picture, but from the past fights, we knew it was larger than 200 lbs.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/10/2008

Oh what a beautiful morning in Orange Beach. The seas were calm as we headed away from the gulf shores to go deep sea fishing for 12 hours. We caught a couple of hard tails for bait and we headed off into the wild blue. On the way out, we ran through our first rain shower of the year. Not much to it. We ran out and started our reef fishing in about 120 feet of water. The Red Snapper were biting ok but the triggerfish began to hit a bit. Most of them were small. We kept moving offshore and we began fishing for Amberjack. The water had a muddy tint to it. It was hardly the ideal blue/green water we are used to. The amberjack bit ok at best. The fish could not see our bait very well I guess. We kept moving and found some vermilion snapper biting and a scamp grouper or two. We went to one spot and dropped some light tackle and hooked a nice almaco jack that fought hard. We had a great day and we really enjoyed fishing with our crew from Tuscaloosa. Michael, Kelly, Wesley, Allen, Richard and Bill I want to say thank you for an entertaining day and allowing Lem and I to serve you!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/9/2008

Mr. Waters who lives nearby in central Baldwin County brought his Sons and Son-in-laws deep sea fishing trip to catch some Red Snapper today. The seas were pretty calm all day. The water was a muddy green. We fish bite was slow on the first four spots we went to. We finally found some active red snapper and caught a nice mess. The jellyfish are pretty thick offshore and especially on the gulf shores. We really enjoyed watching a family have fun together.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/8/2008

June 2 was unlike any ordinary day on Distraction. We started heading out with Steve Hutton of Chuck Hutton Chevrolet in Memphis, Tn., on a shark hunting adventure. Everyone else in the Gulf was fishing for Red Snapper today. Steve fishes all over the continent but he wanted to do something special. Shark fishing off Orange Beach has been good for many years but the elusive man eaters are hard to track down. We went South of our gulf shores to some large spots that often hold sharks. We went all over the gulf and they were not to be found. We finally stopped on a spot where I thought there might be a last chance to catch a monster shark. We dropped a big chunk of special shark bait and it took about 5 minutes until we hooked up. Steve fought the monster and we got the big Bull Shark to the surface and touched the leader three times. We could not get a picture of the shark because I was down on the deck with Lem and Steve fighting the beast. Steve battled the monster shark for 3 hours and 20 minutes and just as it was getting dark, the line snapped and the shark swam away. We have a legal catch because we grabbed the leader 3 times. I assure you that the shark was a good 9 to 10 feet in length and over 350 lbs. It was probably closer to 400 lbs. Either wasy, we saw it, Steve fought it and the shark swam away to be caught again another day. What an exhausting fight. Be sure and give Steve a call at the Chevy Dealership and as he is selling you a car or truck, ask him to tell you about the fight.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/2/2008

Todd, Richard, John Michael brought a fellow fishing enthusiast from the Denver area named Seth, to enjoy a day catching and releasing big fish. These two Alabama Yellowfin or properly called Jack Crevalle hit our high speed trollers today on the way offshore. We thought they were large King Mackerel but after an exhausting fight, we saw we had trophy size Jacks. These things peeled drag and almost emptied a 50 wide penn international reel. We ended up catching and releasing a lot of Amberjack today and hooked a monster shark that after a 20 minute fight our line cut. We had a blast all day!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/30/2008

Bob brought his son Mike and his friend Andrew in from Canada to enjoy a family outing on the waters off of Orange Beach. Light tackle fishing has always been a challenge in the gulf. As of now, we are the only boat exclusively using light tackle and allowing customers to enjoy catching fish. These black snappers went nuts today and came up to the top. We caught some for lunch and released the rest. Either way, we had a blast seeing so many fish on top.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/28/2008

Ed hunts and fishes all over the world. African Safari's don't even match the kind of light tackle fight he had with our light tackle rod when he hooked this 26.4 lb jack crevalle. It took over 30 minutes to land this monster fish. Backing down toward the gulf shores trying to keep up with this fish was tough but Ed kept working it until we got it in the boat. It's not every day you can land a whopper like this. How much fun is it to use light tackle and catch a big one? Just look at Ed. His family was extremely happy that he caught this hard fighting fish with his family while fishing off of orange beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/27/2008

When you drive all the way from Arkansas to Orange Beach, there are only a few things to do to wear you out. One is to play golf and the other is go out and catch grouper. The bite was good all day today. We headed out and hit a few spots and we managed to fish up a couple of nice grouper. Wonderful day was spent with my long time customers from the Russellville.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/26/2008

We arrived at the boat this morning and we noticed our guest had two young men with them. Raymond, Donnie, Lance and Scott brought Carson (7) and Whit (10) with them. These two young men were the life of the day. They worked hard and hung in there most of the day. 12 hours is a long day but it went by very fast. The fish bite was hot until around 1 pm. This family and group of friends caught Amberjack, Almaco Jacks, Mahi-Mahi, Red Snapper, Grouper, Vermilion Snapper and White Snapper. We even caught a triggerfish. We certainly love serving family fishermen and watching their kids catch their first fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/24/2008

Today was a wonderful day to go catch an Amberjack on light tackle. Weston shows just one of the Amberjacks he caught today while light tackle fishing. The fish bite was slower than normal early in the day. Don't know if it was the full moon, current, wind or seas. I do know one thing though, the fish bite got better as the day went on. We heard other boats in the area were experiencing the same thing. We moved around to a few of my private reefs and we finally got the fish to spark off and start biting. The light tackle we use made it easy to fish for Amberjack. We ended up catching a mess of red snapper and a triggerfish. Kyle, Gary, Weston, Garrett and Brian were a lot of fun today.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/23/2008

We all wish for that perfect day on the water. Today was that day. It seemed nothing could go wrong. We were under a weak high pressure system which created a choppy sea early in the morning but calmed down by noon. Shane, Tammy, Dusty, Don, Angie and Carla all came down from Tennessee to enjoy a day deep sea fishing. We started fishing about 20 miles offshore and the bite was good. We caught fish almost every drop. As usual, we caught and had to release some nice Red Snapper. The Vermilion Snapper and White Snappers were of average size. We kept moving further out to see what deep water would bring. It was pretty cool when we came up on some nice Amberjack. The dolphins came up and our customers got some good pictures of them diving beside the boat. We moved a little further where Angie caught herself a nice Gag Grouper. Dusty even caught a hard fighting Tiger Shark. Be sure to see our videos on youtube to see that shark fight. The shark cut the line during the fight but we still got a good view of him. All in all, we had a great day fishing.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/17/2008

King Mackerel and Spanish were the target species today. The S.E. wind was blowing at about 15 mph. We had Mr. Buck, Son-in-laws Jeff and Jeremy along with Jeffs sons Joseph and Josh. We wanted to catch a few for supper. We went about a mile or so then started catching Spanish, hard Tails and by the time we got offshore about 5 miles, we started catching some kings. We caught a few and then decided to start releasing the rest of them. The fight is fun especially when they are biting. Everyone did a good job.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/13/2008

The fish were on fire today. It seemed like every time we dropped a bait, we got a hit. The approaching cold front that stretched from South Texas all the way up into Illinois caused a Southeast wind to blow 15 to 20 mph. The seas kicked up to three to four feet and we encountered whitecaps all day. The area of low pressure centered over us has caused the fish to feed. I have seen this for over 30 years. The low pressure brought the fish up in the water and the bite was great. A cold front tends to push the fish down toward the bottom and the bite slows down. We took advantage of the low pressure and the aggressive bite today. The group we had today were from North Alabama. Patrick who is a regular with us brought his friends and fellow co-workers for a deep sea fishing adventure. When we made our first drop, we started catching Red Porgy's. We call them White Snapper. The size ranged from 10 to 14 inches. We also caught Vermilion Snappers. We caught a few Red Snapper but we vented and released them. We decided to go and try to catch a Greater Amberjack. We went to a reef where I thought they would be. It was amazing. The fish were high in the water. We dropped a Diamond Jig down about 40 feet and began jigging. We may have jigged four times and we got our first strike. It was a nice 31" Amberjack. We ended up catching one for each person on the boat. These are one of the hardest fighting fish in the Gulf of Mexico. All of the guys took turns catching one. We really enjoyed fishing with Patrick and his friends.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/1/2008

JoJo and Brandi came to Orange Beach for their first Deep Sea fishing trip. They wanted a special trip and one that they could remember. We were on a six hour trip and using light tackle. The seas off Gulf Shores were about 3 foot and rolling from the Southeast. The bite was incredible. We caught a lot of different fish including Amberjack and Red Snapper. JoJo had the most incredible luck of any fisherman. He hooked, fought and caught a Trophy Size Red Snapper. 23 lbs and 32" long. This is a rare treat to catch any Red Snapper over 20 lbs. Jojo decided to have this one replicated. Family light tackle fishing is what we do best. I am glad it worked out for JoJo and Brandi!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/26/2008

The weather finally broke enough today to get in a whole day of fishing. We have been experiencing 6' seas Friday and Saturday with a lot of rain. Brian who fishes with us regularly was patient enough with us to wait on the weather to break. Brian wanted to go out and fish deep water for Grouper and Amberjack. We started out this morning heading South out of Orange Beach headed for the deep sea fishing grounds some 20 miles down the road. We rode for about an hour and a half and stopped and tried to catch some vermilion and white snapper. These fish are smaller (usually 10 to 15 inches). They have become a filler or a staple because they are usually plentiful. The biggest problem with fishing for vermilion and white snapper is being patient waiting for the bite to spark off. It is not a given and we have to hit a few different spots before we find some fish that are eager to participate. The secret to getting these fish to fire off and start feeding is having patience and a lot of bait in the water. The more people fishing plus more bait equals more fish. There is also a direct correlation between hours fished, number of people fishing and a large amount of bait and the number of fish caught. Now, fishing for big fish like Grouper and Amberjack is compared to hunting for a trophy deer. You have to be prepared to spend some time fishing for the big ones in order to get one. Brian was very patient and we decided to soak the bait and spend more time per hole/spot to wait on the big ones to bite. We fished a number of spots in 120' to 140' of water. Our best bite for the grouper came in 140' range. We went further Southwest and started fishing. We had a hard time finding them. We moved around to the West and luckily Brian and Lem kept working until we got a couple of nice Almaco Jacks. This was an extra ordinary catch for just one angler. This does not happen all the time. One thing for sure. If you give Distraction a chance, you will have the opportunity to fish for these type of fish and with a little patience, you might get a trophy fish. Pictured are Lem, Brian and Capt. Troy

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/6/2008

Tom, Eddie, Missy, CH and Nell came down from Prattville, Al to enjoy a nice trip offshore today. The wind was horrible out of the North and the seas were high offshore. We talked and decided that we had an option. We decided to turn our offshore trip into a nearshore trip and take advantage of the shoreline and winds. Near the shore, the seas were not even a factor. We went for about 2 1/2 hours before our first bite. We picked up one nice Redfish. We went about another hour and picked up another nice redfish. We finally saw the birds working and we went toward them. We had three rods go off and start screaming at the same time. It was three Monster Bullreds and boy did it wear the men out. Days like today keep us humble but also help keep us focused on our goal. We made it happen. Customers were happy. An average trip turned into a great fishing trip real fast. Either way, its fishing and we enjoy the challenges and thrills.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/24/2008

Matt and his son Nathan came in from Nevada to try and catch a few fish this afternoon. The full moon was a big factor and the bite was slow until later in the day. It was a good trip and we enjoyed seeing a young man catch his first saltwater fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/22/2008

The Clements family came down to go do a 6 hour fishing trip. We headed offshore to try and catch a few fish. Winds were out of the S.E. and seas were ok. With three generations on board, we stopped and tried to catch some fish for supper. The bite was great all day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 3/21/2008

Rachael had been planning today's trip since valentines day of this year. She wanted to treat her dad, grandpa, brothers and boyfriend to a day on the water. We headed out trolling this morning with a N.W. wind and the seas were a choppy 3 foot. We were making good time riding with the waves and we made a stop and tried to catch some triggerfish. Rachael caught a nice King Mackerel that twisted and tangled up a few lines but the fighting fish was sure great to watch. We went to another spot and caught nothing. We hit another spot and the triggerfish were on fire. We headed back North and tried to catch a bullred under the working birds but it never developed. We had a blast anyway.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 11/6/2007

We finally had a break in the weather so we could go deep sea fishing. We had originally planned a 12 hour trip today but we ended up getting two days of torrential rain. I think we got over 13 inches. Mr. Eldon Flinn and his sons, Jason, Randall, Lindon, Eli and Joe came down from Ada, Ok. for a fishing adventure out in the gulf of mexico near Orange Beach. The Flinn family has been fishing with me for years and it is always a pleasure to hear from my landlocked friends. We are experiencing a red tide (plankton bloom) out in the water just offshore. The water runoff along with the red tide made fishing interesting. The red tide is blocking the 0/2 in the water and causes respiratory and allergy discomfort. We got far enough offshore to get into a mess of red snappers. The light tackle fishing is amazing. It also gave our customers a lot of fighting action. I really enjoy it when a plan comes together and the fish are biting.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/19/2007

Another great day fishing. Saturday was supposed to be 3 to 5 foot seas but as usual, the weatherman missed it. It turned out beautiful and the fish bit really well. We headed out in the Gulf just South of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores for about an hour and a half before we stopped and let they guys try their luck. The air temperature was in the 60's and water temp is right around 80. We had Chris Bowman from Pell City, Al. with his friends Jaime, TJ, Andrew, Sam and Austin on board. A few of them had never experienced a truly amazing light tackle fishing trip. We fished a few spots and the red snapper bite was slow at first. We kept fishing and we hit a spot that was on fire. Snappers came over the rail so fast, Lem, our mate could hardly keep up. Deep sea fishing in Orange Beach has never been better. I get really excited when I see customers smiling, laughing, fishing, grunting and giving each other a high five! We ended the day on the last spot when TJ caught a huge 21.7 lb red snapper and then went right back down and caught a 15 pounder. The amberjack hit hard but were too small to keep. They were a lot of fun catching and releasing. We look forward to seeing these guys again soon.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 10/13/2007

Dawn who is a regular on distraction loves to fish in the cooler weather, booked her annual trip so that they could fish without all the summer heat. Dawn brought her Mom, brother Neal and great friends Shane, Cindy and Dr. Tommy down with her so that they could enjoy the wonderful fall fishing in the Gulf of Mexico off the Gulf Shores of Alabama. We started the day with a good N.E. breeze and the seas were at best a choppy 3 to 4 feet. We checked some artificial reefs that I built last year to see if they were ready. To my surprise, one of them was red hot with 18" red snappers swimming on top of the water. We went to one reef and on the first drop, we hooked three Cobia and another 15 or so cobia came up and were swimming on top all around the boat. They were too small 28" so we released them. They gave our customers one heck of a fight. We caught a good mess of Red Snapper through the day and Tommy even caught a Mahi Mahi. We had a blast catching up on the past year. I really appreciate customers who are loyal and try to do all we can to make sure they have a trip of a lifetime. When you fish on Distraction, you will always be treated like family. I can't wait until next year when Dawn and the gang come back down.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/29/2007

Brian from Prairieville, La. brought his men back for a second deep sea fishing adventure this year. His first trip in July was good but they only did a 6 hour trip. After getting hooked on light tackle and the way we fish, this time decided to do a 10 hour trip. Boy did it pay off. We absolutely had one of the most amazing fishing trips we have had in a long time. It seems everywhere we went, the fish were biting. Fall fishing, less pressure, light tackle; who knows but the fish gave it up. Even the big fish bit very well. Brian hooked and caught a 21 lb red snapper. Darrell and Dewayne both caught nice 16 lb snappers and Brad caught a nice amberjack. We absolutely love it when a plan comes together and our customers really enjoy themselves. Fall fishing is almost here and we offer great fishing all the way through December.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 9/2/2007

Derek, Zach, Spencer and Mark joined us today for a wonderful deep sea fishing adventure. These guys from Florence, Al. enjoy fishing fresh water but when they decided to ask Mark what he wanted for his batchelor party, he said "deep sea fishing on the Distraction." We decided to go ahead and run offshore a good bit before we started fishing this morning. The seas were flat calm and remained that way the whole day. The water temp. was 88.7 degrees hot. We began fishing for red snapper and the bite was good. We also caught 2 cobia and released them because they were too small. We caught an almaco jack and a bunch of undersized amberjack that we also released. These guys said the light tackle along with a good fish bite was the key to their happiness. We have been offering these light tackle trips all year and our customers love them. It is amazing what kind of fun you can have just catching fish all day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/25/2007

Micheal and his son Chris came down from Dallas to enjoy a father and son day on the water. We started out trolling and picked up a couple of spanish mackerel off Gulf Shores this morning. We went further offshore and started reef fishing for Red Snapper. We caught a nice mess of red snapper deep sea fishing off Orange Beach and had several big ones break our lines after a short fight. Fall season is just around the corner and those redfish should be arriving soon. We enjoy father and son outings like this because they are great for building fishing memories.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 8/18/2007

Greg brought his friends down from Ohio and Kentucky to the beautiful waters off Gulf Shores do take a 10 hour deep sea fishing adventure. We went out in the gulf and started fishing by trolling for king mackerel right off the beach. We trolled for a couple of hours and had some success and picked up 5 kings. We picked up the reels and ran out to some reefs to fish for red snapper. The bite was slow but we hit several spots and Greg even caught a nice 16 lb red snapper. We were heading to our last spot when I saw some weed lines so we did what we were supposed to do. We checked them for dorado. My hunch was right and we fished for them in the waters under the weeds. The visibility was great and we could see them come out and strike the bait. We had a great day fishing. Orange Beach had some lovely weather today with calm seas which provided an excellent offshore deep sea fishing adventure.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/27/2007

The Hogan family from Marietta, Ga. came down to enjoy their 5th year of fishing with us. Michael, the second to the youngest son turned 9 and it was his turn this year to join his dad and brothers on a orange beach deep sea fishing adventure. Jim brings his kids every year to experience a wonderful day of fishing on the water. The king mackerel bite was good this morning and we then headed out to do some red snapper fishing. We caught some nice fish and one huge snapper was bitten in half as Steven was reeling it in. We tried to catch the huge shark but I guess he was so full after eating an estimated 18 lb snapper. What a great day with some great customers.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/12/2007

Tom, Billy, Trip, Duke and Harrison came in from the big state of Texas to have a big time catching fish on the Gulf of Mexico. We started off this 8 hour trip by trolling for the first 7 miles offshore. We had some good luck and picked up a couple of nice King Mackerels. We decided to kick it up a notch and went out and started reef fishing for Red Snapper. We caught a lot of fish and exhausted our anglers. One thing good about a hot day is having a really cold air-conditioner to keep you cool. We had a pleasant visit and Duke took some fish heads with him to go shark fishing off the beach tonight.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/9/2007

Don, Bonnie, Robin, Terri, Gerri & Jerry came down from Puchuta, Ms. We went out on a 6 hour trip this morning. King mackerel were scarce this morning but the red snapper bit well. We picked up a few kings and a bonita on the way in.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/8/2007

Ruben, Allen, Russell, Josh, Alecia & Jennifer came to Orange Beach to do some fishing from Greensboro and Brent, Alabama. Russell caught a huge king mackerel and we caught red snapper and king mackerel. We lost a few really big fish due to them just being to large for the 30 lb line class we were using. Sometimes its not meant to be. We had a very successful trip catching some really nice fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/7/2007

Les, Chris, Blake, Adam & Alysa took a 10 hour offshore adventure and had a great trip catching red snapper, triggerfish and king mackerel. We also saw a manta ray and we will post that picture on the website.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/6/2007

Jason and his friends show off an afternoon catch of red snapper and king mackerel. The king mackerel bite has been good along the Orange beach coastline. Red snappers are hitting very well most of the day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 7/5/2007

Days like this make me glad we have a really cold air conditioner. We brought a group of men in from as far away as Colorado & Utah to get some deep sea fishing in on the beautiful waters off Orange Beach. Steve, Shawn, John, Charlie, Leon and Ville from Finland came out and did some serious offshore angling. The red snappers bit well all morning but we found ourselves struggling a bit by 11 a.m. We kept moving around and catching a variety of fish. We caught Triggerfish, Vermilion Snapper, White Snapper, Grouper, King Mackerel, Bonita and a Bonus Wahoo! All day trips can be rewarding and challenging. They are always fun.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/30/2007

Whoever said there is not enough action on a 4 hour nearshore deep sea fishing trip off of Orange Beach evidently has never been with us. Mike, Larry, Neil, Rick and John came down to enjoy a morning of fishing and caught some nice king mackerel. We started with a slow bite but after we located the mackerel, we picked up a nice mess. What a great trip for the kids.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/25/2007

What do you get when you take a 6 foot 6 giant of a man deep sea fishing? You get one extremely happy 6 foot 6 man that was extremely tired of reeling in fish all day. Dr. Joe, Kevin, Keith, Paxton, Davie and Stephanie came in from Vicksburg, Ms. to enjoy an exhaustingly fun day deep sea fishing. We caught some nice snapper and Davie hooked his very first large amberjack that he handled very well. Charter fishing on the Distraction is designed for family fun.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/24/2007

Chris, Matt, Michael, Duke and Andy came down to do a 10 hour offshore charter. We fished a lot of reefs and were able to pick off a nice grade of larger fish. The seas and weather cooperated for a change and made it easy to hold the boat over the reef off the shores of Orange Beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/23/2007

The Scott family came down to gulf shores for an exciting offshore fishing adventure. We caught a nice mix of red snapper and caught a nice shark and released it. Overall, you cant beat the memories built between a father and a son.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/22/2007

Deep sea fishing with Danny & John was a blast. We left out this morning with moderate seas and good weather. As the day progressed, so did the wind. The Red snapper bit very well and so did the king mackerel. We broke off a few big ones that they could not stop with the light tackle that we specialize in. Anyway, John and Danny were a treat to fish with.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/16/2007

Tennessee sure produces some great fishermen. Not just an ordinary day. Our friends, Scott, Jenny, Kerry, Julia, Brad and Eve fished hard on a great offshore adventure. The highlight of the day was the huge shark, red snapper and triggerfish that were caught. The day went by too fast. Scott met his match fighting that shark. It whipped him up as he flexed his guns and hung on as the man-eater pulled drag for over 30 minutes. These fishermen were tuff and so were the men.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/09/2007

Today was the day that Frank, Mike, Mac, Earl and Rusty let the big city of Columbus, Ga. for a day on the gulf. We had a great day catching red snapper, wahoo, amberjack and a mess of vermilion snappers. One Red Snapper was larger than normal. It is always a pleasure to give back to our law enforcement community. It is especially nice to have nice people fish with us.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/08/2007

Bill, Jake, Brett, Margaret and Uncle Nate came down from Colorado to take advantage of our wonderful deep sea fishing. We had great success all day long and the highlight of the day is when Brett hooked a monster red snapper just off gulf shores. He fought the fish for a little while until the unusual monster fish hit the surface. We all were in awe with the size. This kind of snapper is possible but it is mostly luck to get one this size to the top without breaking the line. Brett never yanked or pulled too hard. When the fish went down to the bottom of the deep sea, taking drag, he let him pull. When the fish stopped, Brett pulled back and gained until he won the fight. It was a pleasure having my Colorado friends down here with us on such a wonderful fishing day off of Orange Beach.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/06/2007

Big Game means Big Mean Game. How about a couple of bull sharks. Myfis and Kevin took a 12 hour big game trip today to look for something big to tug on. We had some 8 foot swells from Tropical Storm Barry coming in from the SE. and a North Wind. Unusual combination of the two. We caught a good mess of nice sized snapper, a huge king mackerel and both Myfis and Kevin caught the two largest Bull Sharks of a lifetime. One bull weighed 144.8 lbs and the other weighed 118.7 lbs. Both man-eaters put up a huge fight but our anglers won the battle. Fishing off of Orange Beach is just not for snapper. There are a lot of varieties that we catch on a regular basis. These two men were met at the dock by their wives and kids. Those kids were certainly amazed when they looked in the boat and saw the sharks.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 6/2/2007

Joe, Melanie came down to Orange Beach planning on a 12 hour trip but the seas did not allow us to get out too far. We stopped on our first reef and their daughter Cassandra dropped her line. She caught a few regular sized snappers before this monster 20 plus pound Red Snapper bent the rod. Cassandra had no help and fought this monster all the way to the top. A fish of a lifetime. Congratulations.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/31/2007

Vick, Ryan and Brandon came fishing today from Monroe, La. We were heading out for a great day of offshore fishing when I decided to check a spot I have not fished this year. It was loaded up with hungry Red Snapper. They bit so fast that Lem was in a frenzy trying to get everyone's fish off the hook so they could re-bait and catch another one. We decided about lunch time to spend the last two hours trying to catch a Wahoo. We had the trollers out about 30 to 45 minutes when we got a large strike and the line started peeling and the reel was screaming as the Wahoo ran with the lure. We got him in the boat and he was nice. We had one other knock down but we managed to hook a nice tuna that Brandon fought all the way to just behind the boat when he slung the hook. We got a good view and we exhausted Brandon's strength. We also caught a nice mahi-mahi today that jumped high out of the water. What a great day!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/28/2007

Another wonderful day deep sea fishing the waters off Gulf Shores Alabama. Eric, Alex, Matt, Josh, Jacob and Grandpa Butch came down from Springville, Al. to catch some deep sea fish. We have been expecting a front to move through for a couple of days so as usual, the wind was honking from the East. The bite was good and we caught a variety of fish. Light tackle was the key to our success today and the fight was enormously fun. Matt even hooked a large shark and it took all his strength to get him up to the boat. The shark almost broke the surface when he turned and cut the line. We got a good view and we estimate he was in the 200 lb range and 8 to 10 feet long.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/27/2007

Saturday started off just right. We had a SE rolling sea and a brisk breeze from the East. The fish bite was on fire today. Tim, Che, Sam, Susan, Helen and Tracy came down from Yazoo City, Ms. to enjoy a day on the water off of Orange Beach and Gulf Shores. Memorial Day Weekend was kicked off with plenty of people and sunshine. A great bite of fish like the Red Snapper and King Mackerel made the day special. We really appreciate family fishing trips and great customers like the Paul family.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/26/2007

10 hour of fun fishing today resulted in a mixed catch of fish. We fished for and caught mahi-mahi, red snapper, triggerfish and amberjack. We caught one big red snapper that a large shark cut in half and all we got was the head. Jon Byan, Allison, Allen, Anthony, Jennifer and Joanne came in from the Shreveport, La. area to have a great day. We really enjoyed watching them catch fish all day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/23/2007

Who say's wind out of the East that fishing is the least? That must be in fresh water. Out here in the gulf of mexico off of orange beach, we make'em bite. The bite was hot then cold, and spot after spot, Randal, Danny, Pat, Brian, Shawn and Wayne came down from Pleasant View, Tn for their day on the salt water. We worked hard fishing shallow water and then deep water. At around 1:30 pm the bite slowed so we decided to troll around in the blue water. We had already picked up a good wahoo so we knew they were out there. We trolled for about 30 minutes and picked up our second wahoo. We went about 10 more minutes and got another one. With full outriggers in position, we moved to an area that has produced larger fish and sure enough, a whopper 33 lb wahoo hit. We ended up with four of them. We caught a large black snapper and a nice gage grouper along with some white and red snapper. What a great day with some long time customers. This is a great example of fellowship, friendship and building memories is all about.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/19/2007

Flat calm, gentle breeze and a great day on the water. We were reef fishing for a good part of the day for Red Snapper, Vermillion Snapper, Black Snapper and King Mackerel. The bite was good until about 1:30 pm when it just slowed to a few nibbles but no solid bites. We took Jon and his wife Keith Ann with their friends John and Tammy to another reef when I saw Mahi-Mahi swimming below. We threw a jig and hooked one up. They went nutz. The fish did two. We picked off a good many before they stopped biting. We trolled back in and picked up another King Mackerel. What a great day on the water with great customers.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/13/2007

Taka, Yoshi, Reo, Takashi, Nao came in from Japan via Atlanta today to experience a deep sea fishing adventure off Orange Beach Alabama. Fishing is a sport that is worldwide and even though we spoke different languages, we all had something in common. The love for fishing is a wonderful thing. These guys were excellent anglers and kept me laughing all day. We started out fishing for Red Snapper and caught a good mess before we decided to troll for big game the rest of the day. We had a huge wahoo get off but we caught his little brother a short time later. Taka kept asking for a tuna and wouldn't you know it, we caught a blackfin tuna. A truly amazing day with great seas and a little luck. I appreciate days like this.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/12/2007

Faye, Keri, Carol & Tyler called me wanting to have the best fishing trip they could have in six hours. We left the docks here in Orange Beach this morning at around 7 a.m.. The Gulf of Mexico was slick calm for this charter fishing trip. We started fishing about 12 miles offshore and the bite was ok. We kept fishing hard for a few hours. Changing baits, fishing high in the water, fishing low. We even through the flat line out. We managed to fight some good fish but ended up with a few red snapper, jacks and a triggerfish. We certainly enjoyed having the fish bite better than they did last week. That full moon was tough! Thanks for the Business.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/11/2007

Frances, Kyle, Kevin, Ruston and Walton came down to the gulf shores for a 4 hour nearshore trip today. We started off trolling and picked up a spanish mackerel. After a little while and not picking up anymore mackerel, we decided to easy out a little further to see if we could catch a red snapper. They started biting a little when a dolphin showed up and started swimming around the boat. Flipper put on a good show and then all of a sudden, a monster shark came from below the dolphin and tried to take a bite out of him. The dolphin went nuts and went away from the bull shark quickly. Lem grabbed a shark rig and put a bait down. It took a couple of minutes and the shark hit the bait. We fought the monster for over an hour and finally got it to the boat.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/8/2007

Vance and Doug from Hot Springs, Ar. came down today with Chuck, Brian, Tim & Mike for a group outing on the Distraction. The weather was overcast but the seas were 2 to 3 feet. Again, the bite was slow due to the full moon. We fished spot after spot with not much luck. I could see the fish on my machine but they were not biting. We took all day to catch 12 Red Snappers. Chuck got lucky and caught 2 huge gag groupers in a row. He pulled us out of the hole on what would have been a tough day. We caught 3 king mackerel and a huge spanish mackerel. The guys in spite of a tuff bite, caught many dozen fish and felt the fight all day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/4/2007

Chad, Marcy, Robb, Catherine, Alex & Kevin came down from Huntsville, Al. today to go out and have a great time with family on the water fishing for red snapper, triggerfish, wahoo and grouper. The full moon was a big factor in the slow bite, but Chad did manage to catch a 16.8 lb Red Snapper on his first drop. We came across a pallet floating in the gulf of mexico when we saw the opportunity to catch some mahi-mahi (dorado) and we did. We had a blast casting with light tackle and fighting them. Congrats on a nice catch on a slow fishing day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/3/2007

The full moon was beautiful this morning. The fish must have stayed up all nite feeding because they did not want to bite today. We left orange beach and headed out in the gulf of mexico at 6:30 am. BJ and Sonya came in from Laurel, Ms to have a whole day of deep sea fishing by themselves. We caught a lot of fish but the bite was never on fire. We had to keep hitting spots to get a good mess of fish. We caught scamp grouper, red snapper, white snapper, vermillion snapper, ruby reds and shark suckers. The higlight of the day is when we stopped on a spot heading in and BJ dropped a live bait on a spot and hooked and caught this nice 12.8 lb Red Snapper. It gave him a fight of a lifetime. We enjoy seeing customers having fun catching fish.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 5/2/2007

Today, Friday was a much nicer day than Thursday. The cold front moved through Gulf Shores last night and we had a beautiful day on the Gulf deep sea fishing. Battle, Tom, Tom & Ron fished and caught some triggerfish and red snapper early in the day. The bite was not hot but we caught a few and moved out to deeper water. We dropped a few live baits on the bottom and caught a couple of nice big groupers that fought reel hard. We moved out to some big rocks and fished for amberjack but they did not bite. We did manage to hook Tom up on a big something and fought it for about 10 minutes before it broke his line. I bet it was one of those big gag groupers that fight extremely hard. We started heading toward Orange Beach around 2 pm. We had our high speed trollers out when we heard the reel scream and it kept taking line. It was a huge Wahoo that Ron had to fight all the way to the boat. These guys had a blast and we kept them busy all day. Our group today was from Chatanooga, Tn and Pennsylvania. Thanks,

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/27/2007

Well, Well, Well. Red Snapper season finally arrived in Gulf Shores today. Gary, Robert, Gary, Wayne, Alan and Jeff came down for a 10 hour offshore reef fishing trip. The bite was slow all day. We fished a good many spots. The bite was slow because of the high pressure system/cold front approaching. Those of you who fish all the time know what I mean. We did manage to harvest a nice mess of Red Snapper, Triggerfish, Porgy and White snapper. We ended up going back near shore and fished for bull reds and cobia. We caught 4 nice bullreds over 20 lbs and We hooked Allen up on a nice cobia and after a 10 minute fight, the fish spit the hook. Darn the luck. We had a great group of guys today and we ended up with a nice mess of fish at the end of the day.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/21/2007

Tuesday started out a bit on the windy side here in Gulf Shores while on a 12 hour deep sea fishing trip. Gordon and his 19 year-old son William came down with Happy, Eddie and Mike for a corporate get away. Gordon took his crew on an offshore adventure and is a true sportsman. They are from Dallas Texas and they caught fish today that were larger than they have ever caught. They loved the way we could release the fish and they all swam off unharmed. We kept them fishing all day. Sometimes the action in sportfishing is greater than the kill.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/17/2007

Chris, Bill and Jeff brought their sons on their first nearshore fishing trip off the orange beach while fishing for redfish and spanish mackerel. Ben, Alex and William show off a near 30 lb class bullred. The cold front passed on Sunday and today it was pleasantly nice with winds out of the Northwest. Because of all the rain this weekend, the water was muddy and the bite was slow. We stuck it out and kept changing lures and tried to fish tide lines between muddy and murky water. We did get the boys up in the tower but had no luck looking for the cobia today. We look forward to an offshore trip next time.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/16/2007

Jimmy, Caffie, Joe & Amanda came down for an 8 hour nearshore deep sea fishing trip just off Orange Beach. The spanish bite was good as was the bluefish. We had to wait a while before we came across a nice school of Bullreds. The rest is history. Great job!

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/07/2007

Mr. Johnny came down for his 60th birthday and caught a 30 lb Crevalle Jack. This is the largest fish he has ever caught in his life. Thanks for his Daughter Robin, her husband William and his Johnny's wife Nancy for making this dream, a reality.

Posted by: Captain Troy on 4/6/2007

Tim and Karen brought the gang on a 10 hour fishing trip nearshore off Orange Beach and Gulf Shores Alabama fishing for Redfish, Cobia, Crevalle Jacks and Spanish Mackerel. Those fish really gave it up today.